


The Sins of Humanity - A LoH Splatoon Sequel.

by Chigger



Series: Humanity - Splatoon [3]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen, Nintendo - Freeform, Splatoon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-06-18 09:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 95,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15482745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chigger/pseuds/Chigger
Summary: It's been two years since the battle with the rogues and the second great turf war averted. With one leader dead and the other in prison, it should be a time of peace between the Inklings, Octarians and Humans. But all it takes is a single stroke of a wayward match to bring everything full circle. And life itself is not the only casualty of war. Sequel to The Legacy of Humanity.





	1. 1.1 - Deceptive Tranquility

**The Sins of Humanity - A LoH Splatoon Sequel.**

**Author's Notes: First, I'm well aware that new material contradicts with a number of "head-canon" in my stories. The most prominent, is the Octarian section from the art book. This section alone contradicts at least 3 scrolls in the first game, so I do not believe anything in the art book to be anything more than a beta idea, and as such, will not be used. Nor will anything from stage announcements due to the awful localization.  
Next, the Pearl in the previous story (user OC), is not the same Pearl in this one (canon char). Also, I will be using canon characters again, but I will try to base them off of their originals for the new ones. I'm usually fine with liberal translations, but tree-house and NOA really dropped the ball with this one** ** **. If it isn't in the game or confirmed by the devs, its not canon.**** And yes, there will be hero mode spoilers. May or may not contain octo expansion spoilers.  
Lastly, I will not be using reader OCs again, so please do not ask me to add them. Though, you are free to throw ideas for characters or events to me. The few reader OCs that do return will be credited on the chapter they first appear on. Others will just have references to them. Splatoon and all canon characters belong to Nintendo. All OCs besides the few readers ocs that return belong to me.

**My update schedule will not be as consistent as the last story, nor will it be as long. I strongly recommend reading The Legacy of Humanity first. The prequel book, Fall of Humanity, will probably not be required. All feedback and suggestions are appreciated.**

**This really should have been out months ago but being stubborn kinda messed that up.**

1.1 - Deceptive Tranquility

Earth 2019 O.S.C. Early Winter

Deep beneath the new Eden Colonial State settlement, is a facility that once housed the last of a mere 100 members of the once dead elder race. Now that the humans have grown to nearly 500 after a large number of them were rescued from an underwater facility, they were slowly relocating to the surface. The scattered apartment sized dwellings and farms are what most Oceanics see when they curiously approach the race they once believed extinct. But few outside the Octarian imperial family or the agents of squid beak, actually see the inner workings of the E.C.S. Which is why the figure that was crawling through the ventilation system wondered how his infiltration had gone smoothly.

"Their security has gotten lax." The figure continued to move through the vents. Several defense force members passed by underneath, but one of them stopped. Thinking it had been detected, the figure froze in place. After a few seconds, the guard shrugged, and moved on. "That was close. Why was I the one stuck with this job?" After a few more minutes, the figure found itself above the old cryogenic sleeper bay, which was still being used as Manfred Von Kaufmann's lab.

"Found it!" The figure changed forms, and slid through the grate. It hit the ground, and reverted back to bipedal. It quickly made its way to the lab computer, and connected its phone with a newly created device that was supplied to it. The words on the computer screen were instantly translated to Oceanic. "Good to see my equipment is working. Now to find the blue prints." After digging through a number of files, the figure managed to pull up several schematics for engineering projects. Namely, a large tunnel. The figure quickly copied the plans to its phone.

"That's one. Now for the formula." It next pulled up a formula for a chemical agent. The tag next to the formula said 'Mutagen'. It was quickly downloaded to its phone. "That's two for two. Now to get out of here." It quickly disconnected the phone, but before he could shut off the computer, another figure walked into the lab. The first figure quickly sent a signal to his partner via text.

"What? Why is the computer on?" Manfred, the middle aged head scientist and acting director, walked over to the station. "Wait, I don't remember doing anything with the mutagen." While the figure could not understand the words spoken due to neither of them having an autotran, it could sense that it was on the verge of being exposed. Just as it was about to take measures into its own hands, another human burst into the room with a panicked expression.

"Professor! We have a fire in the power room! We're sealing it off!"

"What?! Get the hazard crew down there immediately! And inform Drake that we may have an intruder!" Both men quickly left the lab, and the figure dove into another air vent. As it made its way back to the airlock, it saw a number of emergency response personnel rushing towards the source of its partner's distraction, along with defense force members. Using the confusion to its advantage, the figure quickly made its way back to the airlock that lead to the emergency exit.

"Took you long enough!" The figure's partner said, as it emerged from the exit hatch.

"Me? What about you? If you had delayed that distraction any longer, I would have been detected for sure!"

"I had to give myself an escape window. Something you should have done on your side. Now let's go before we get found out for real!" The two jumped from roof to roof top in an effort to avoid the alerted E.C.S. guards. When they finally made their way out of the settlement's boarder, they wasted no time in fading away into the nearby tree line.

...

Earth 2020 O.S.C. - Late Fall

"THIS THING IS NOT GOING TO HOLD!" The 23 year old human, Drake Von Kaufmann, was flying through the air with the grace of a cat. Or at least he would have been, if the inkjet that he was riding would respond to his inputs properly. His blue eyes were wide, and you could see his brown hair being blown everywhere due to the squid Nordic that Marie gave him falling off. It didn't help that said Marie was laughing like the extinct hyena. "I TOLD YOU THIS WASN'T GOING TO SUPPORT MY WEIGHT, SHELDON!"

"Keep it steady, buddy!" Sheldon yelled back. He turned one of the dials of the remote control pad in an effort to stabilize it. "I boosted the output. Try to get it stable!"

"ON IT!" Drake responded. He tilted the control stick to get the jet to level out, but Sheldon had raised the sensitivity too high. The inkjet tilted sharply, and sent the human flying towards a large stack of crates on the far side of Sheldon's new target range. "OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!"

"Drake! Look out!" Callie shouted, but her warnings were useless. Drake and the inkjet slammed into the stack of crates, knocking most of them over, and causing the inkjet to shutdown. "Oh crud! Are you okay?" Both squid sisters rushed over to the now collapsed crate stack, and Callie helped him climb out of the debris.

"You didn't break anything, did you?" Sheldon asked. He retrieved the inkjet, and gave it a glance over. "Nah, nothing broken. I'd say it fared pretty well."

"Drake are- shu nevin vem nahi?" Callie's speach broke into her native language.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Drake said in a sarcastic tone. He then gave the auto translator a quick smack. "Your concern is as overwhelming as ever, Sheldon. And you can stop laughing, Marie."

"I- I'm s-sorry. Y-you know th-that I'm relieved t-that you are o-okay. But t-the l-l-look on your f-face-" was all Marie got out before she went into another laughing fit. Drake brushed himself off, and put his hat back on.

"I'll admit that thing looked kinda fun, but tell me again WHY you needed a human to test that!" Drake spat out. Before the inkjet crash, Sheldon also had the human test out the new bomb launcher, stingray and tentamissile special morph weapons.

"We're scheduled to replace all the old special morph weapons next year, so a little extra data never hurts."

"Never hurts, my ass! But now that you mention it, why are you replacing all the old specials?"

"According to the 'powers that be', the turf war commission has decided that some of the old special weapons were too powerful for non military use. Same reason we are retiring the ancient rainmakers. Speaking of which, the new rainmaker replicas have arrived!" Sheldon excitedly went over to the crate stack that Drake had slammed into. He pulled out a crowbar, and cracked one of them open. "While these aren't as powerful as the real thing, these new replicas that Tentatek created should shake things up a bit."

Oh! OH! ME FIRST! I WANNA TRY!" Callie said while bouncing up and down.

"Geez, Cal. It's been over a year, and you haven't changed at all." Marie smirked at her, as Sheldon handed Callie one of the replicas.

"Don't be so sure!" Callie aimed the rainmaker down range, while charging it up. When the charge was finished, Callie released the trigger. Instead of a large ink cyclone like Callie had expected, a large ink missile flew from the rainmaker's barrel. Callie was disappointed for a second, but when the shot hit the target, a large explosion of ink enveloped the targeted area. "WHOA! What the heck was that?"

"That looked more like a mortar round than a rainmaker shot," Drake added.

"Exactly! I got the idea from some old weapons your father showed me, and Tentatek was all too eager to capitalize on it!" Sheldon said in an excited tone.

"I like it," Marie chimed in with a dirty smirk. "Just think of all the chaos I can spread with this new toy. Tell me when these are getting added, because I have first dibs."

"About the same time the new specials will be added. When the construction on the square and the tower are finished, I would guess. Won't be much longer, now."

"Speaking of time, it's about time we get Callie to the airport," Marie said, after checking her squid phone.

"Aw, but I wanted to hang out longer!" Callie protested. "I haven't gotten to spend much time with either of you in months!"

"I know, Callie. I wish we had more time too, but you can't miss that movie shoot. I'll make it up to you when you get back," Marie responded. Callie continued to pout.

"The price of fame," Sheldon chimed in. Then he turned to Drake. "Though, I haven't seen much of you either, since you and the Octoling broke up." Callie winced, Marie shook her head, and Drake just shrugged. "Oh, sorry. Is that still a sensitive topic?"

"No. It happened almost a year ago. Besides, I've been busy with providing security at the project site. I haven't even been back to Eden in months."

"In that case, why don't you ride with me? I'm heading over there in about 2 hours, and I bet you would find the projects I have been working on with your father, to be interesting."

"You know what? I'll take you up on that. I should make sure the rest of the defense force isn't slacking off." Drake and the squid sisters left Sheldon's shop a few minutes later, and headed into Inkopolis square. Despite the fact that there was still construction going on, and that Deca tower that served as the new turf war hub wasn't open, the square was getting rather lively. The three strolled around or a few minutes, talking among themselves until they reached the tram station. Callie's face darkened a little.

"Callie? What's wrong?" Marie asked.

"I don't want to go..." Callie responded. "Can't we just go back to being pop singers?"

"Callie, we've been over this," Marie said, and put her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "The producer wants more than just news casters and splatfest singers. Besides, the people at Jellyfish island are counting on you to finish the movie."

"I know..." Callie sighed and forced a smile. "But you two have to promise to go see it with me once it's finished!"

"Sure thing, Callie," Drake replied. Callie's smile became genuine, and she hugged her cousin. Then she did the same for Drake, before lightly pecking him on the cheek. This naturally caused Marie to smirk even harder.

"Oh, he gets a hug and kiss, but I only get a hug?"

"Hush, you!" Callie replied with her tongue stuck out.

"Anyway, don't forget we also have that Calamari County vacation coming in the summer. Our parents are looking forward to seeing us again."

"I hope they will at least stop calling us Aori and Hotaru."

"Yeah, we both know that's not happening. Anyway, have a good trip, Cal. Try not to get too scared on that plane."

"Yup! I'll update my blog as soon as I get there! Bye-bye! See you when I get- HEY!"

"Seriously, you need to go. And try not to get mobbed by the Jellyfish when you land!" The two cousins waved at each other one last time. Then Callie disappeared into the tram station. Marie turned her attention towards her human friend, and Drake spoke up.

"So, where was she going again?"

"New Sardine. An island the Jellyfish control. That's why she has to fly instead of taking the train. Anyway, I've got to head back to the studio. Want to tag along for a bit?"

"Sure. I haven't seen the new studio, after all," Drake responded. Marie positioned her arms in a pose that screamed 'link arms with me', and her grin grew even wider.

"Well you know what the price of admission is," she said. Ignoring the glares he was getting from the other Inklings, Drake did as she wanted, and followed her to the new studio. Contrary to the large and colorful studio in the plaza, the new one felt smaller and more drab. Then again, like the rest of the square, there was still construction going on. Marie lead the way to the main broadcast room.

"Hey, Marie. You're a little late, and the producer was starting to get worried," a short male Inkling said.

"Sorry, Fran. I was just seeing my cousin off." Marie noticed that a short girl with white and pink tentacles was standing next to him, and was gazing up at her. "Who is she?"

"A new recruit from your hometown that the producer wants to turn into an idol. Her name is Pearl, and we're trying to find a partner for her."

"N-no way! It's.. it's MARIE!?" The girl said, and her eyes widened with an excited look. "Is Callie here?! PLEASE TELL ME CALLIE IS HERE!" Pearl was very clearly starstruck. Her behavior surprised them, as they expected a new idol to be nervous to say the least.

"As you can see, she's a big fan of yours."

"I- I can't believe I finally get to meet you! Callie was my main inspiration! And you are awesome too!" The girl was practically jumping up and down. Then she noticed Drake, and gave him a suspicious glare. "What's with the fossil? Waaaaiiiitttt..."

"Pearl, that's the human I told you about. The one that has been helping out the squid sisters." Pearl's expression didn't change. Drake bent down and stuck his hand out.

"My name's Drake. So you're a new idol? Well, you're certainly-" instead of shaking his hand, she leaned in and bit down hard on it. Due to the shock, he didn't react for a second, but quickly started screaming. "GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAHHHH! WHAT THE HELL!?" He shook and pulled on his hand for several moments, until he was able to pull his hand out of her mouth. Marie was literally on the ground, and dying of laughter. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR? YOU... YOU LITTLE GREMLIN!"

"NYEEEE!" Pearl stuck her tongue out, then ran behind Fran.

"Sorry about that," Fran said, and shrugged. "I think she's jealous of you for being close to her idols. And she doesn't seem to like humans much... I should have mentioned that."

"Be quiet, you! You're just the camera man!"

"A-as m-much as I-I would l-like to continue w-watch this." Marie slowly stood up from her laughing fit. "I need to get back to work. Are you heading out, or do you want to help me practice for study hour?" Marie said with another smirk. Pearl's face went into a scowl.

"No, I've got another stop to make before meeting up with Sheldon," Drake responded. Pearl's face relaxed, and both Marie and Drake noticed this.

"By the way. Are you still up for joining us at Calamari County?" Marie asked, and Pearl twitched.

"You know it." Pearl's glare couldn't be any more obvious. "Anyway, I'm heading out. Good luck with your shoot, Marie." Drake turned to leave the studio.

"I WANT TO HANG OUT WITH THE SQUID SISTERS! WHY DOES THAT FREAKING FOSSIL GET TO BE CLOSE TO THEM!?" He could hear Pearl yell. Drake headed towards to the tram station. On the way, he saw Crusty Sean setting up a food truck. The shrimp man noticed him, and waved as Drake walked over.

"What up, brudda? What can I getcha?" Sean asked. While the guy did have an annoying speech pattern, he had grown on Drake ever since he left the retail business. Back then, Marie had mistakenly blamed the plaza shop policies on Sean, but it had actually been the building owner that had roped everyone in. After eating lunch at the truck for the last few months, he learned that the shrimp was pretty reasonable.

"Just heading back. You got any hot dogfish?" Drake responded.

"Fresh off the grill, boy-o. Shall I whip you one up?"

"Yeah, but make it two." Sean looked at Drake with surprise.

"Two? You extra hungry today? You know how big my servings are, man."

"One is for a friend," Drake said, and Sean laughed a little.

"Oh, I get it. You finally found a new girl, after breaking up with the Octobabe. Right?"

"No, I don't have a new girl." Drake rolled his eyes at the shrimp.

"Aight, Aight. Two hot dogfish coming up." Sean quickly prepared two orders, and placed them in front of the human. "By the way, yah seen Annie recently?"

"Not since Cooler Heads closed up."

"She's got a new custom order online shop going. You should check it out sometime, bro. You know Annie knows her stuff."

"I'll be sure to do that. Tell her I said hi if you see her." Drake payed for the food, and left for the tram station. His destination was the old Plaza. After exiting the tram, he glanced at the near deserted block that once served as the main hub for turf wars and hang outs. He was reminded of the day a certain Octoling had her first turf war, and when Callie and Marie showed them what splatfest was.

"It's a real shame those two couldn't stay as just singers." Drake moved past the plaza, and into a nearby street that lead into a dead end. Since the Inkling chancellor still insisted on limiting traffic from Octarians and Humans, this area was dedicated to housing both official visitors, and those that were hoping to gain permanent residency.

On the left, were several buildings that housed the Octarians, and the right was for the humans. The largest building was for the Octarian imperial family and the E.C.S. officials. At the far end of the street, was the main attraction of this part of Inkopolis. The trading post. The Octarians had several shops in which to sell their food and various goods. The humans had a couple of booths dedicated to handmade crafts. These were popular with the female inklings and Octolings.

Drake entered one of the larger apartment buildings that the Octarians were using. When he got to the third floor, he quickly made his way to the far side, and knocked on one of the doors. After a few moments, the door opened, and a feminine voice spoke up.

"You're late." An Octoling opened the door for him. She wore an Octo-tee and Inkling shorts, instead of the usual uniform.

"Well, I got us lunch," Drake responded, and held up the food. The Octoling nodded, and motioned him to follow her inside. He set the food down on the table, and sat down on one of the chairs. "The squid sisters were asking about you."

"I-I see. I'm sorry I couldn't make it today. I had to pull a double shift in the tunnels, thanks to that accident."

"Yeah, that was a real-" Drake was cut off when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind.

"I- I missed you."

"It's only been a couple of days." He turned towards the Octoling. "But I did too, Otome." The two leaned in, and shared a deep kiss. After parting, the red tentacled Octoling sat down next to him. Despite being a lieutenant and an elite, she chose not to dye her tentacles dark brown, or wear the traditional kelp stocks.

"I really hate having to hide our relationship," Otome said while looking down. "I... wanted to... be more than... a couple that... goes out every once in a while... and kissing when we part..." Otome's face couldn't have been more than red. Drake couldn't have been more pleased at her reservation, as he knew better than anyone how strong Otome normally is.

"Tell me about it. I don't really care what the E.C.S. or the chancellor thinks, but Octarias isn't making this easy. It really messed with my plans."

"W-what plans?" Otome looked up again, and locked eyes with him.

"Heh, you'll have to wait until Octarias gets off our back before I reveal that one."

"Hmpf! Then it had better be something good." Otome pouted a bit, then the two started eating their food.

"By the way, have you gotten a new team yet?" Drake asked while munching on the hot dogfish. After the battle against The Chaos, two of her teammates had left the squad. One was dismissed from the military, and now lives in the same apartment complex with her sister. The other was transferred back to the Science division.

"Not yet. It looks like it's going to just be me and Yako for a while longer."

"How is your sister doing?"

"As big a handful as ever." Otome rolled her eyes a bit. "She was complaining all day about not getting to see you and Callie. You know how she likes her head rubbed."

"Ha! That sounds like Yako." Drake finished eating, and stood up. "Well, I hate to eat and run, but I got to head out."

"What? Already?!" Otome gave him a disappointed look.

"Sorry, but I'm hitching a ride back to the E.C.S. with Sheldon. I'll come see you first thing when I get back. Promise."

"Okay, but I'm holding you to that."

"And don't forget that we have the Calamari County trip with the squid sisters in a few months," Drake said. Otome finally smiled again after hearing this.

"Oh yeah! I'm really looking forward to that. It's been a while since the four of us could be together again." The two stood up, and as Drake started to head out, he turned and pulled Otome into another kiss. "Take care on your way back, Drake. I love you."

"Love you too, Otome." They kissed again, and Drake left her apartment, as Otome lightly waved at him. As he went into the main hall, he saw Otome's neighbor exit her apartment at the same time. She was a chocolate skinned girl, with dark brown tentacles that were teal on the tips. He had spoken to her a few times, and they were on fairly friendly terms.

"O-oh. Hello D-Drake," The shy Octoling said.

"Marina Ida. Afternoon. How is the job search going?"

"G-great! I finally got an interview today! It's at the new studio in the square!" For the past several weeks, Marina had been applying to various talent agencies. "Ever since I saw what happened in Octovalley two years ago, I've been wanting to follow the squid sisters footsteps. I-I hope I can make the cut this time."

"Huh? I wonder if this has something to do with that new idol they recruited. Fran said that they needed to get her a new partner, but.."

"B-but what?" Marina gave him a confused look, and Drake smirked a bit.

"You'll see for yourself. If I'm right, then we are in for a rather interesting match up."

"Uwa? W-what does-"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I've got to slip out, but good luck with your interview."

"O-oh, right. I need to head out too, but thanks, Drake. I-if we get the job, a-are you and Otome going to come s-s-see me?" The girl's face went bright red.

"I'll talk to Otome about that. In the mean time, you might want to work on that shyness a bit."

"I-I'll try."

"Oh, by the way.. do you mind if I ask a dumb question?"

"U-uh, sure." she looked a little hesitant on what an elder race would call a dumb question.

"Been meaning to ask this for a while, but I keep forgetting when I'm around Otome. Anyway, I've seen some of the other Octolings at the trading post have smaller and thinner tentacles than what you or her have."

"O-oh, that's easy. Younger Octolings don't get larger tentacles until they are sixteen at the earliest. Though some late bloomers don't until they are almost twenty. That's also why most of the Octolings you see in the ar-" she paused and closed her mouth.

"Marina?"

"N-nothing. Does that answer your question?"

"I think so. But does that have to do with why I'm seeing more black eye rings instead of purple?"

"O-oh, that's because younger Octolings are more susceptible to sun light. If they stay above ground for a certain amount of time, the rings turn black. I-I-I was exposed to it at a younger age that most ar- Octolings my age.. so that's why mine and the new comers have black rings and Otome's will probably always be purple."

"Huh.. you're pretty smart, huh? I guess that's how they intent to balance that girl's behavior." Drake smirked a little

"W-what?"

"It's nothing. You'll be fine... probably. But thanks for the info"

"S-sure. I-I don't mind answering questions, but I really need to go."

"Oh, sorry for keeping you. Next time there's a few things about Octarian tech I've been wondering about too that Otome doesn't have an answer for."

"O-oh! Sure. That's right up my alley" Drake could see her smile a little.

"Well don't let me keep you," Drake said. Marina gave a light bow, then headed out. Drake checked the time, and headed out to meet Sheldon.

...

A few hours later...

"Well, what do you think?" Sheldon asked. Drake was standing in front of two large bipedal robots. They looked like something out of the old mech simulation games he used to play. The bipedal tanks were gray with a tinted black cockpit, had two arms, were well armored and were at least 12 feet tall and had two arms that looked like jet wings on each side. "One of the many projects your dad and I have been working on."

"We call it the Tiger mk3. Each arm is armed with a heavy chain gun, and the shoulder has a heavy rocket launcher and heat seeking SAM pod." Manfred said, and his face went into a grin. "And that's not all! Each arm also has a mounted hydra splatling, and the back has twin ink strike missiles!"

"Seriously, dad? How did I know you two would get along so well?" Drake looked at the second Tiger mk3, and noticed that its weapon set was a little different. "What's up with the other one?"

"We stuck a pair of ink canons on the arms, and swapped the rocket launcher with a howitzer canon. As you can guess, one of them is made for dealing with infantry and light targets, while the other is made for armor. These new walkers should easily replace conventional tanks. It will definitely be more effective than the APCs or that scrap panzer we built. Oh, and they can be piloted both in person and remotely."

Drake continued to eye the two battle walkers. "How much time and resources did it take to build that? And are you trying to start another war?"

"A lot. Even with the factory back on line. We could likely only produce a few more. As for your second question," Manfred answered, and his face darkened. "After the day of hell as you like to call it, as well as the security breach last year, we can't take any chances. That's also why we're producing the new M14k marksman rifle and M441 pulse gun."

"I'm surprised you would help with this," Drake said to Sheldon.

"Oh, it's been most fascinating." The horseshoe crab didn't even bother to hide his enjoyment. "But it's not like I don't get anything out of it. We're also working on a new splattershot that's very similar to your own weapons." He pointed to a splattershot that looked like a p90 sub-machine gun. Sheldon then walked over to a large truck that was parked on the other side of the motor pool. "Then, there's this."

"Looks like a normal truck to me." Drake then took another look at the vehicle, and noticed that it looked familiar. "Wait a minute. This is one of the trucks that Callie and Marie used for makeshift stages. What's it doing here?"

"Huhu. I would love to explain it all to you, but I want this one to be a surprise. You aren't going to believe what I've done to this baby!" Drake could swear that Sheldon was drooling.

"Oh, by the way, Drake. How has the new autotran been working out?" Manfred asked. Another one of his joint efforts with Sheldon, was the mk2 autotran. This version had an extended range, and was capable of working over electronics.

"It's been working great so far. I'm surprised you figured out how to get it to work over the phone."

"Want me to explain it to you? Well, to start, we-" Sheldon started to ramble, but Drake waved his hand.

"Please don't. I get enough of that from my father."

Just then, Sheldon's squid phone vibrated. "Huh? Callie updated her blog. She hasn't done that in a while."

"Oh, yeah. She mentioned that earlier."

"Yeah, but neither of them use it a lot. Want me to read it for you?" Even with the autotran being vastly improved, it still couldn't translate written dialogue.

"Sure," Drake answered. Sheldon started reading the content of Callie's post aloud.

"Hey, squidkids! It's me Callie! It's been so long since I've written a proper blog post! Being on my own like this, I've got time to think, but sometimes I think too much! But I'm really psyched for filming today! Stay Fresh!" Sheldon paused a moment, before speaking again. "I wonder if this has something to do with what happened at the airport."

"Wait, what? What happened at the airport?" Drake started probing the crab man for answers.

"According to a recent report, she was apparently mobbed by her Jellyfish fans. Thankfully, she got through it okay, but I wonder if it shook her up a bit," Sheldon said, and Drake's expression quickly became worried.

"I knew I should have gone with her."

**A\N: Hope you like the start of the next story. Again, any and all feed back would be appreciated. Cover art by Luna96 aka IV Luna.**


	2. 1.2 - Premonitions

**Authors note: I apparently got a little ahead of myself and botched the date on the first part of chapter 1. it was supposed to be 2019. fixed now.**

Blackness...

"Why can't I feel my limbs?"

Empty Void...

"I'm moving... why am I moving?"

Weightless...

"These thoughts... why am I thinking these thoughts?"

Consciousness slipping...

"I don't like this... My cousin!"

Failing...

"My brother... My first love..."

Falling...

"My friends..."

Losing...

"I don't want too... HELP ME!"

...

Earth 2021 O.S.C. Early Summer

It was early in the morning at Calamari County, and Marie had awoken with a start. After rubbing her head for a few minutes, she glanced at the clock. It was early. "Why.. am I.. awake.. Am I turning into Callie?" She paused. "Wait, Callie!" Wide awake, she went for her phone.

"Hotaru? Are you okay in there?" A voice called through the door. Marie sighed, as only two people still called her that.

"Yeah. I'm okay mom!" She yelled back.

"You sure? I heard you groaning and sobbing earlier," Marie's mom continued.

"It must have been that nightmare.." Marie sighed again and shook her head. "Really, I'm fine mom. I'm not a kid."

"Well, if you're sure. You'll always be my little Hotaru, though." Marie facepalmed at this. "By the way, has Aori arrived yet? Your aunt is getting worried about her," she continued, referring to Callie's mom.

"No, she didn't... let me see if she called."

"Okay, but let us know if you hear from her." Marie could hear her mother walk off and turned her attention back to her phone. Callie was supposed to show up two days ago for their vacation, along with Drake and Otome, but none of them showed up at the station. There was no word from them the previous day, either.

"Come on, Cal..." Marie scrolled through there phone. No luck. There were no new text or voice messages from her or any of their friends. She dialed Callie's phone and was quickly sent to voice mail. "Callie? It's me. Please pick up... look, call me back as soon as you get this. If you're upset with me, then I'm sorry... just.. let me know when you're ready to come visit. Mom is worried about you too." She hung up the phone and tried to call Drake and Otome. Neither of them answered. Marie sighed and tied her tentacles back in their usual bow and to the side style, then got ready to head out after slipping into her Kimono.

Hours later, Marie found herself at the station. The train had come and gone, but still no Callie. Marie checked her phone, but no replies had come. The next train was about to leave, when Marie, who was overcome with worry, decided she'd had enough. She hopped on just before the train departed, and was soon on her way back to Inkopolis.

Thoughts were swirling in Marie's head on the way back. Was she angry or upset? They had been becoming distant in the last few months, but Marie had thought they had overcome it after talking about it over dinner and spending a whole day together. They had planned this trip to make up for lost time from their new careers, as well as spend time with their closest friends and family. Or perhaps it was something else. What if something had happened to her?

Marie's thoughts were brought back to reality when the train pulled into Inkopolis station. As expected, Callie was not at the station, and after speaking to the employees, never was. After making sure she wasn't at home, she went to the studio to ask around. Neither Fran, the producer nor the new idols who formed the duo, Off the Hook, had seen her. Dismayed, she headed back to the square, but not before grabbing a parasol prop to cover her.

"Dang it Cal, what's going on?" She sighed and went to the vending machine to buy a drink. As she looked around, she noticed that the square was starting to get packed with young inklings, many of which had just turned 14. Luckily for her, they didn't pay her much attention since they were all getting ready for the grand opening of Deca Tower in a few hours.

"Wish I could just forget everything else and go play like you." She sighed and tossed the empty soda can away. Just as she was about to turn away, she noticed something. It was the manhole cover that lead to Octovally and Octocanyon. "Wait... it couldn't be... could it?" Worried that something had happened with the Octarians, she changed forms and hopped in. "Please be okay, please be okay," she squeaked as the green squid made her way to the neutral zone.

It was quiet in Octovally. More quiet then it should have been. Marie looked around the shack her grandfather lived in, but saw no signs of life. "Gramps!" she banged on the door and got no response. "Gramps, are you in there? It's me!" she repeated. Still no response. Overcome with worry, she let herself inside. She searched the shack from head to toe, but saw no signs of her grandfather, Cap'n Cuttlefish. "Great.. now gramps is missing too.." She sat down on his bed and sobbed.

"Callie... Gramps... Drake.. Otome.. Where are you guys?" She finally lost her cool persona. She let a tear shed and collapsed on Cuttlefish's bed. "Callie... I'm sorry! I should have lost splatfest! I should have payed more attention to you! Please..." All the tension from the previous months came flooding out at once. She wailed and sobbed for several minutes as her mind ran through various scenarios. Eventually, her eyes dried up, and she noticed a note on the table. "H-huh..?" She wiped her face with her Kimono's sleeve, and picked up the brown note that look like an old telegraph. She picked it up and turned it around.

" _My dearest Callie and Marie -(STOP)- On a research trip to the cape with Agt 3 -(STOP)- May be late, but left dinner in the fridge -(STOP)-_ "

"Why the heck did he send a telegraph? We got him a new phone-" She stopped when she saw the old inkling's phone laying on the ground, and facepalmed hard enough to leave a mark. As if a switch was flicked, all her overwhelming sadness was quickly replaced by sheer irritation. "Dammit, Gramps... You're getting too old to keep doing this.." She tossed the note aside.

"Well... at least he's with Neptune... or is he with the old Agent 3? Ugh, I told him these number based code names are stupid!" Since Levin and Shara had retired in a sense to focus on their lives, and Kirk, the former Agent 5, was no longer with them, Marie assumed it was Neptune that was being dragged out to the trip. Though not being able to reach them wasn't helping either. "Seriously, why can't anyone answer their phone!" Her frustration at the breaking point, she shoved her phone back into her pocket and stomped out of the shack. It was then that she finally noticed several things that shouldn't have been there.

"Wait... what... the hell?" Her exasperated expression quickly changed to one of shock when she laid eyes on the large orb that had once been used to contain DJ Octavio before he was transferred to the actual Inkling prison. "But... why is this here.. and... broken?" She looked up and saw that the top part had been smashed open, leaving more than enough room for the massive Octo to escape if he had been contained in the sphere.

"Oh no... then was Callie..." Marie's mind started piecing together a dark scenario. She quickly ran back into the shack and grabbed her replica army type-H charger that she had left behind for safe keeping during the trip, and with out even bothering with the uniform, quickly rushed back to the entrance. However, before she blasted out the front door, something else caught her eye. In the small entry way, there was a bright yellow uniform that was similar to the old army outfit the agents used, along with a weapon that looked like something from the E.C.S. There was also a small note lying against the weapon. Marie picked up the note to inspect it.

'Old man- You were out when I came by, so I'm leaving you this note. I have finished our work on the new Type H splattershot and it is ready for field testing. Combined with human tech, this beauty has high potential for customization and modification. It should far outpace the original, once it's been tweaked to the user's liking. I have given you 2 for your agents to test, and should have other Type H model weapons ready very soon. I eagerly look forward to the results!  
-Sheldon  
P.S. I have dropped off two sets of the new army uniform as well.'

"So this is what Sheldon was working on... Wait.. he said two sets, so why is one of them missing. Did Callie take it? No, that can't be. Her Outfit and roller are gone too." She thought about leaving the set behind, but decided to take it with her. "I might need these if things are worse than I thought." She headed out the door with her belongings. "I just hope I'm wrong..." She sighed and headed out to start searching the valley. "I hate this one girl act... its just not the same."

...

It's a story many Inklings have heard before. One would be rich in coin if they had one for every squid that came fresh off the train, thinking that they would be the big star of the battlefield known as turf wars. Few would reach that glory, but that didn't stop young Inklings from all over the city and beyond, from trying. It's a story many have heard time and time again. Which is why one could easily mistake the yellowed eyed, tan skinned, and green tentacled squid that had just arrived, as one such dream filled hot head. The six spike tentacle style with three on the bottom and three on the top, would probably reinforce that. Or one might assume he wasn't green due to carrying a weapon most rookie's wouldn't have access to, and wearing pilot goggles, an inkling parka and angry rain boots.

"Inkopolis, huh?" He stretched out and looked around. After a few minutes of taking in the sights, he grabbed his bag and headed into the square. "Now let's see... no.. this isn't right... He told me it was a circular plaza.. did I come to the wrong place?" He was going to turn around and head back to the station when the large monitor on the tower lit up. A new chime was heard and a pair of Idols, who had only recently made their debut, appeared. The green boy stood and watched as they introduced themselves as Pearl and Marina. "An Octoling, huh..? And with Pearl? I wonder.." He initially didn't intend to give the broadcast much thought, but he was now at full attention.

"Before we go on to our main announcement, we have some shocking news." Marina continued. "One of the squid sisters has gone missing." A picture of a black and pink tentacled girl appeared behind them.

"Whhhaaatt? Noooo.. Not Callie!" Pearl yelled, and probably deafened half the studio. The boy shook his head at her behavior.

"I-it's true." Marina looked like she was in pain as she went on. "If anyone has information on her, please let the news crew or the police know."

"You'd better, or you have to deal with me!" Pearl gave the camera a death glare.

"She hasn't changed one bit." He shook his head with a faint smile.

"A-anyway. Now for some good news." Marina flicked her DJ panel a few times.

"Heck yeah! Y'all know what time it is?" Pearl grinned at the camera and the Inklings in the square quickly forgot about the grim report a few moments ago. Pearl raised her arms above her head and leaned back on her beanbag chair. "Its finally time to open Deca Tower and resume turf wars!" The square was quickly lit up as every Inkling shouted in excitement after Pearl's announcement. After all, to young Inklings, turf wars are practically their life blood. Except for one green Inkling that just stood back and watched as the turfers all pushed their way into the tower to try to be one of the first to play in the new season.

"So simple minded... its no wonder how this city was almost taken over." He sighed and turned away from the tower. "Still.. That missing persons report... I think.. Yeah.. she was one of them.. I finally have a real clue.. but wasn't there also-" He stopped when he noticed a female with milky white Tentacles that had green tips. "Wait.. White and green.. she's... yeah.. Could that be her?" His eyes narrowed, and he started to approach her. He could feel his face heat up and in his concentration of the girl, he didn't notice another young Inkling that had crossed his path until he nearly ran into the other one.

"Hey! I know yer excited an' all, but watchit will yah?" He turned to the feminine but heavily accented voice. A yellow bob-tail style tentacled girl with pale skin and blue colored eyes was staring him down. "Yah could at least say excuse me or somethin'. You city boys sure can be rude." She rambled on. The boy's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing he took offense too, it was being confused for one of these lazy, selfish city dwellers. After all, it was because of them that...

"I'm not a city boy," he said, trying to suppress the urge to growl at her. The only reason he didn't, is that he suspected that she hailed from the same country side town that he did.

"Really? Yah look, act and talk like em city folk." She then leaned in an sniffed, which made him take a step back while wondering what this girl's deal was. "But... you don't smell like one."

"W-what? The hell is wrong with you?" He stared dumbfounded and his mind was trying to decide if it would be better to just turn around and walk away.

"Yer from the county, aren't yah?" She finally asked, and looked him right in the eyes.

"H-how did you know?" The urge to run was starting to win over.

"I'd know that smell a mile away." Her previous look was replaced with a toothy smile. "I'm from Calamari County too! Nice to meetcha! What say we start over and be county pals?"

'Looks like I was right...' he internally sighed. He wasn't here to make friends, especially someone from his hometown, but he decided he might be able to get some information out of her by sticking around. After all, he certainly wasn't here to waste time in those stupid games. "Yeah.. sure.. uh.."

"Selka. Selka Cuda." She stuck her hand out.

"Kirin. Just Kirin" Against his better judgement, he reached out and took it.

"Well nice to meetcha just Kirin." She grinned and he rolled his eyes. "So what part of the county, y'all from?"

"None of your business..."

"Aw, don't be like that! Yer-" She paused when she saw the weapon he was carrying along with his gear pack. "Hey, Kirin... You ain't a tester, are yah?"

"A what now?" The question had caught him off guard and stared at her with a confused look.

"You know, a tester?" She stared, and he continued to return the gaze. "Yah really don't know? Then how do yah have that?" She was pointing to a heavy splatling. "Now that everyone has to restart at the rookie rank, nobody should have access to anythin' but the splattershot jr, an there's no way yah could have already done a match already with that crowd unless yah were one of the testers."

'Damn, she's smarter then she looks.' Kirin sighed and decided to just tell the truth. With some omissions. "It was sent to me by.. someone I know that used to play before turf wars were moved here."

"Oh, yah know a vet? Cool! Is he comin' to join yah to get his rank up too?"

"No... he uh.. doesn't play anymore." He looked away, getting tired of her questioning.

"Ah, that sucks. Well we should-" She paused. "Wait... if that belonged to a vet, then... is that the old version of the heavy splatling?"

"Does it matter?" he looked back at her, and her expression changed to one of slight shock.

"Of course it does, dummy!" She yelled, which made him jump a little. "Yah ain't allowed to use outdated weapons!" She suddenly grabbed his hand.

"S-selka? What the heck?" He tried to pull it back, but she kept a firm grip.

"We're goin' to go have Sheldon fix yah up. Yer needin' the started kit, anyways." Much to his dismay, she dragged him off to Sheldon's new shop. Thankfully, most of the players had gotten their starter kits long before the tower opened, so it didn't take them long to get inside. Kirin had heard stories of the small and eccentric horseshoe crab, so it didn't startle him much when he hopped over the counter to greet the two newcomers.

"Hello, hello. More new comers?" Sheldon approached the pair. "Oh, well if it isn't Selka. Was there a problem with your starter kit?"

"Nah, I'm good. I just-"

"Well then I don't know how I can help you. I'd love to show you my base line of beauties, but you know that you need to play a few rounds before I-"

"Cool it, crab man," she waved her hand to cut him off. "Y'all gettin' ahead of yerself. Came here with mah new friend. He's from the county to!" He pointed to Kirin, who could feel another headache coming on.

"Oh, well welcome to ammo-" Sheldon paused. "Have we met before, friend?" Kirin raised an eye brow at Sheldon's question.

"This is only my second time in the city, and the first was just a short visit. I think you're confusing me with someone else," he replied in a cool tone. No, he was definitely being confused with someone else. Kirin knew exactly who, but kept his mouth shut. While Selka knowing would pose little issue, Sheldon, on the other hand, might end up being a problem later on. While it was true that Kirin had only briefly visited the city once before, he had known of Sheldon and his connections from certain phone calls he had received two years ago.

"Well I reckon he needs a starter kit." Sheldon jumped over the counter. "Also, that splatling model isn't allowed anymore."

"I'm not really interested in playing-"

"Sure yah are!" Selka jabbed him in the sides, as Sheldon pulled out the last case.

"Alright, geez.." Kirin opened the case. he quickly tossed the free clothes in his bag, then strapped on the new inktank. He then attached the special morph, packed the bomb casings and set the automap in place on his arm. All with out any help. Sheldon watched with interest. "Now all that's left is this." He sighed as he picked up the JR.

"Yer sure yah never done this before?" Selka asked after watching Kirin set up his new gear like a pro.

"I'm sure. I never said I didn't train a bit at home, though."

"Fascinating... and that heavy splatling. Where did you get it?" Sheldon asked with a stern expression. Kirin wanted to leave the shop as soon as possible.

"It was a hand me down. Now if you'll excuse me." Kirin turned away, but Sheldon quickly hopped over him with surprising agility, and blocked his path.

"Hold on just a tick, buddy." Sheldon looked him over again, and Kirin was getting more anxious. "Maybe you would be better off starting with a little more kick." Sheldon went over and grabbed a brand new Heavy from the display case. "This baby should be more to your fancy." He grinned and handed the stunned Kirin the weapon.

"I... uh... but I can't pay for this. I only have enough for a few days food and a ticket home." fighting the urge to run out of the shop with the weapon, he held it out back to Sheldon, who shook his head. "It's on the house. I get the feeling you and me are gonna be seeing each other a lot soon." The horseshoe crab grinned again.

"What? No fair!" Selka shouted when she came out of her trance. "Y'all won't even SELL me a different weapon an' he gets one for free?!"

"Well, I am allowed to bend the rules from time to time. Trust me, it isn't the first time."

"Lucky..." Shelka gave them both a glare. Kirin rolled his eyes and started to head out, still wanting to get away from Sheldon.

"Right... now if you two will excuse me.." he tried to escape, but Shelka caught him as soon as he exited the shop.

"Where do yah think yer goin'?" She grabbed his hand again. "Y'all geared up, so yah gotta play at least a few games!"

"Yeah, I got it, so let go.." Kirin complained while being dragged to Deca tower, glancing up to see the great zapfish wrapped around the top. By now, most of the crowd were either in a match or finishing up for the day. Due to the massive influx of Inklings coming in for the grand opening, all players were limited to 3 battles for the day, in order to insure that all players would get a turn and that the system wouldn't be overloaded. After the secretary finished her explanation of this, Kirin and Selka were registered with the S.P.A.W.N. system, and sent by the transport pad to the reef.

"Aw, man! They got a tester on their team!" One of Kirin's teammates wined when they all landed and returned to bipedal forms.

"How can you tell?" Kirin asked, as he glanced over to the other team's base pad.

"They got a Krak-on on their team. Look over yonder." Selka pointed to a pink inkling that was indeed holding a krak-on. "Ain't no way he could have gotten that from just three battles."

"Yeah, but we got a tester too," another female on their team said, as she looked at Kirin's splatling.

"What? No, I'm not-"

"Of course he's a tester!" Selka jabbed him in the sides. "Y'all got nothin' to worry about!" Kirin barely had enough time to roll his eyes, as the starting signal blew. Kirin quickly charged up the heavy, and let lose a torrent of pellets on the ground ahead of him, making a long line of ink. The other three JR. users happily dove in and swam to the end of it. They all came out on the other side after changing forms, and split up to ink different area's of the arena.

"Okay... just gotta do what I saw him do in the videos.." Kirin followed behind in one of the new trails until he came up to the upper bridge, then found a good perch on a small platform overlooking it. "This will do. Now let's see if they are stupid enough to-" He stopped when he saw a JR. user approach the bridge. "This guy must be newer than I am.." Already charged, he unloaded on the pink enemy. Hit hit hit hit, and the boy went down. Ink was ejected from his system, and the S.P.A.W.N. tether beam latched on to pull him back to his base pad for de-splatting.

"Nice shootin'! But yah ain't gonna be one uppin' me for long!" he heard Selka shout. He looked over, and saw her waiting under a platform on the opposite side of the bridge. Attracted by her yelling, another enemy JR. user jumped off a platform that was connected to the enemy base pad. Grinning, Selka rolled a splat bomb under where he jumped from, and was splatted before he could get a shot off on her. "Told yah! I- ack!" She yelped as a roller sprayed ink on her from where the JR user came down from, and she was pulled back to the base.

"You got a big mouth.." Kirin sighed as the roller dropped down, and the third JR user came up to the bridge from the left. He quickly charged the splatling and cut off the JR, but before he could land the final shot, the roller activated his special morph, and blocked his stream with a baller. "Wait... what the hell?" His shock quickly wore off and turned his attention to the baller, but the rider just rolled off the side of the bridge as the JR retreated to the far right.

"Move, Kirin!" Selka yelled at him while she came out of the base pad.

"Why? He dropped off the bridge. He's not gonna climb up the wall or some-" he froze as the baller did just that. After rolling up the side of the bridge wall, the baller was sitting right next to him, and he could do nothing as it filled with ink and burst. He was thrown back and splatted on the spot. He yelled loudly as he felt the ink forced out of his system by the tether beam, and forced back into squid form. The beam then pulled him back to the pad to finish desplatting, making him glow white the whole way.

"That's why? The ball can climb walls, yah know?" Selka said as she rushed ahead.

"No I don't know!" He growled. Rather than push back to the bridge, he sprayed the area around the base that his teammates had neglected to cover, until his auto map pinged.

"Hey tester! How about using that special to cover me?" One of his teammates said over the communicator.

"Uhh..." he paused. "How.. do I do that again?"

"Hit the button on the automap, stupid!" The girl replied. Growling in irritation, Kirin did as he was told, and the morpher grew. His eyes widened, and before he knew it, he had a large tank strapped to his back, and a nozzle was in his hands. Curious, he pulled the trigger and a large stream of energized ink came out.

"Whoa, what?" He waved the beam around while he tried to get control of it, until he noticed that a small screen on the nozzle was showing the positions of the other players through the walls. "Wait.. this thing shoots through walls? This is kinda cool..." He locked the beam onto the roller and started getting hits. "Come on! Get splatted already!" He continued to follow the roller, hitting both him and two other JR users. "Why aren't you getting splat-" His voice trailed off as the beam ran out of power, and the morpher returned to its basic cylinder state. "Oh come on!" He yelled in frustration, not noticing the roller popping up and splatting him with a vertical flick.

"Ha! What was that? I thought you were a tester?" The girl from before taunted, as she moved in to finish off the damaged roller and both JR users, effectively stealing his splats. "Seriously, get on my level!" She continued to taunt him as he reformed on the base pad.

"Don't yah worry none bout her. The stingray is kinda weak right now. Just get your little green butt over here an gimme a hand!" Selka said over the com. Grunting in response, he changed into squid form and swam to where she was. Ignoring their bragging teammate, the two of them managed to hunt down the last JR user, and used what little time they had left to trap the other team in there base by not letting the roller get off from the spawn area. Thanks to their fourth teammate re-inking the lost territory, the managed to score a clutch win at the last second when the end signal blew.

"There yah go. That ain't so hard, now is it?" Selka grinned at him as the computer displayed their statistics. Both teams were sent back to the transport lobby a minute later. "Now, yah can't tell me that wasn't fun," she continued, when the transport was complete.

"Well..." Despite being irritated from the girl's attitude, he couldn't deny Selka's words. "Yeah.. I guess it was."

"Good! Cus we got two more matches to play today!"

"Wait, wha- ack!" Selka grabbed his tentacles to keep him from escaping, and dragged him into the lobby once more. While he did find that he liked the second arena, Muscle forge fitness center, a lot more than the reef, they ended up losing both matches they were allowed to play for opening day. "A-are we done?" He panted as they came out of there third and final match. He was getting rather thirsty from playing three games in a row.

"Yeah... sucks we had to lose the other two, but we got us enough prestige to get some basic weapons from the shop. I can't wait to try me out some of those splat duelies!"

"Good, then he can get a special that he doesn't suck with.. assuming this tester is capable of something like that." The girl from the first match smirked at him as she came out of her third match. Apparently, she had won all three. Kirin clenched his fists as he saw her walk out of the tower, reminding himself that playing these games was just a distraction. One that had gone on long enough.

"Ah, don't let 'er get to yah. Come on. Let's get something to drink, then we can go weapons shopping!"

"Wait, I don't need-"

"Sure yah do!" She pulled him over to a nearby vending machine, since the food truck was busy. "So what yah want? My treat since I made yah hang out today."

"O-oh.. uh.. fruit juice, please."

"Ah, yah gotta want something with a bite, like a cola. Well, suit yourself." She tossed him a can of juice, then turned back to the machine to get something for herself. Kirin was about to open it, when something caught his eye. He looked over to the far corner of the square, and saw the kimono girl from before. She was standing over a manhole cover. Thoughts started circulating in his head, until the girl noticed his gaze. The two locked eyes for several moments, before her form deteriorated, and a green squid sunk down into the tunnel that was under the cover.

"She's gotta be one of them..." He said to himself.

"Hey! Yah listening?" He turned back to see Selka toss the empty cola can into the trash. "Time to go weapon shoppin! There's no limits on battles tomorrow, so we gotta prepare today to beat the crowd!" Kirin groaned, as he tried to think of a way to get away from Selka and stop wasting time. but right before they made it to the shop, the monitors swiched on, and Off the Hook was on the air.

"Yo, listen up, y'all! We got an emergency!" Pearl started.

"Pearl, don't just blurt that out from the start!" Marina gave her a sour look.

"But this is almost as big as Callie going missing!" Pearl continued and Marina just shook her head.

"Alright, I get it." She moved to the front of the screen. "I'm very sorry to report that the great zap fish has gone missing." As soon as she said these words, the crowd froze.

"Yeah yeah!" Pearl got off her beanbag chair to join Marina at the front. "And Y'all are gonna hate this, but to save power, the 3 battle a day limit is going to remain in effect until it is found." The crowd went into an uproar.

"P-please remain calm!" Marina continued. Kirin looked over, and noticed that Selka was glued to the screen with an expression of frustration.

"Wait.. this is my chance... I can't lose her.. if I'm right." He slowly started backing away. He continued to inch to the grate, until he was right over it.

"Ah, this is sharkshit!" Shelka turned away from the monitor. "Right Kirin?.. Kirin?" She started to look around and Kirin, eager to not be spotted, changed forms into a squid, and sunk to the tunnels below.


	3. The Nightmare Part 1

It was in Octovalley that a certain squid came out of the Inkopolis access pipe and was made Agent 3, along side his partner, Agent 4. It was here that his fight against the Octarian assault corps, the Mariners, started. It was here that they finished DJ Octavio with the help of the squid sisters. It was here that the first human in over 12 thousand years would make his appearance to the cephalopod community. But that was 2 years ago. The only thing that was there to greet Kirin, was an empty and quiet valley.

"How... where... I know I saw her go into that pipe," he mumbled in confusion. After getting over the initial daze, he decided to look around for any signs of the Kimono wearing girl. After walking around for some time, it became apparent that he was alone. He then headed over to a cluster of Octarian transport kettles. "Huh.. so these are what they used to get out of their holes..." Kirin bent down to examine the nearest kettle. It was quiet. The gauge showed that it was active, but it hadn't looked like it had been used by the girl. Giving up on the idea that she had gone into Octarian territory, he decided to try the shack next.

"Hey... is anyone in there?" he banged on the door a few times. No response. He moved to the side of the shack and slowly peaked into the window. Luckily for him, there were no half naked females disrobing to take a shower, or he would have been in serious trouble. Unlike what had happened when a certain magenta Inkling walked in on the city's first human. The shack looked like it had been devoid of life, and he was forced to admit that the girl was not here.

"Did... I take a wrong turn?" He glanced at the valley one more time. The pipe split into several directions, but he had for sure thought that this is where she was headed. After all she... "Where else could she have gone?... Damn... I missed my chance." Frustrated, he had no choice but to head back to the city, and went back to the pipe. However, it was starting to get dark, and he had no place to sleep for the night, having only enough for a few days food and a much needed train ticket for home. He backed away from the pipe, and turned back to the cabin as a gust of wind blew at his backside.

"It doesn't look like that girl lives here... or anyone has for a while. One night won't hurt anything.. right?" Kirin tiptoed to another window to look inside. It was still as empty as before. He tried to open the window and found that it was unlocked. After opening it, he fired a few ink pellets at the wall with the splatling, changed to squid form, and swam inside. He quickly ducked down and peaked around the corners to make sure the shack was truly deserted.

"looks like she really isn't here." Sighing, he went over and grabbed some sheets, laying them on the ground. Despite breaking and entering, sleeping on another squid's bed was a little too much. "I'll find them... tomorrow... Two years..." He yawned once and the fatigue from the trip and consecutive turf wars caught up to him, and he was out like a light.

...

"Lieutenant, why are we starting our shift so early today..." A short young female human around 18 with blond hair, was following the EDef second in command, Brandon. They had just departed from the APC, and were walking into a large underground facility. After coming out of the narrow concrete passage, they entered a larger chamber. The large space was well lit, and separated into several long platforms. In between the platforms, was a set of tracks that lead into a large tunnel.

"Have you forgotten that today is the grand opening of the trans territorial line?" Brandon responded with a sigh. They continued down to the center platform of the newly constructed subway line. For the past year and a half, the humans, Inklings and Octarians had been working together to create a train line that stretched between the borders of the three Major territories of Inkopolis, Octoburg and the E.C.S. The humans had provided the plans and engineering, while the Inklings gave funding and materials. The Octarians were in charge of equipment and labor. All three races provided their own security.

"I know, LT, but couldn't we have waited a few more hours?" She said with a yawn as they headed for a group of fellow EDef members.

"Get used to it, kid. You signed up for this after all..." Lieutenant Finn rolled his eyes.

"What the hell did you bring a rookie here for, anyway?" A tall robust EDef member asked. The name on his uniform read, "Sargent Black".

"Hey, you were a rookie once too, Matt," a dark skinned guard said.

"Shut it, Reggie. At least I had some skill before hand."

"Playing that competitive shooter doesn't count."

"Knock it off..." Brandon put his hand to his face, adjusting his glasses. "Anyway.." he shot them a glare, which shut both of them up. "This is our newest recruit, private Trisha Becker."

"Yeah yeah... the other rookie's sister," Matt scoffed, and looked to another Edef member, a young red head that was the the same age as Trisha.

"Do you have to be an ass all the time Matt?" Reggie asked.

"Someone has to do it around here. This isn't a damn day care!" He flipped Reggie off, and went over to talk to Justin, the team medic.

"Don't listen to him.. he always does this to the new guys." Reggie got closer to Trisha and looked her over. "So you're Kenny's little sister, huh?"

"Yep. Hope my brother hasn't been giving you too much trouble," she said with a casual tone.

"Hey, I'm not the one that got chewed out by both Matt and the Lieutenant at the same time!"

"Enough!" Brandon raised his hand to stop the rookie siblings from starting a brawl right in the middle of the new underground railroad station. "Don't make me regret putting you both on the same assignment."

"Wouldn't dream of it LT."

"Good, because the captain isn't as patient as I am..."

"Has anyone heard from him yet? He's been missing for a few days now," Reggie asked.

"Still nothing... but you know how he is..." The grouped headed to where the train was. "Anyway.. let's take our posts. The trains start running in a few hours. And where the hell is Takeshi?"

"He's hitting on the reds again." Kenny pointed to the far end of the platform, and sure enough, the Japanese squad member was chatting up one of the Octolings. She likely rolled her eyes from behind her new goggles that were issued alongside the new Octarian uniform, and slipped on a pair of headphones to tune him out.

"Right, I'll deal with him. Tricia, you come with me. Reggie, Kenny, you two go with Matt." Brandon fired out instructions, and the Edef team took positions around the train, keeping an eye out for those that would make their year and a half of work go to waste.

...

"Agent %, you're up! Destroy their line so we can advance!"

"But there's too many of them, agent =."

"Don't be a wuss, agent %."

"But agent #-"

"You heard him? Don't you want to save me?"

"Yeah, you aren't going to leave Agent ^ behind, are you?"

"N-no Agent !, but.."

"Then get going!" The voices compelled the squid to move forward, through the deep blackness. The voices continued to command him. To goad him on. He tried to turn back, but his feet kept moving forward on their own accord, until a large multi-barreled weapon was staring him down.

"Ah! Agent =, help me!"

"Advance, Agent %!" The squid tried to turn the other way, but another large red weapon was behind him. He tried another direction, but found that he was surrounded by large read splatlings. He opened his mouth to call for help, but they all fired on him at once. His mouth, eyes, ears were all covered. They continued to hit him, over and over, until there was nothing left but a puddle.

...

"Ah!" Kirin bolted up right. He panted heavily as his vision cleared up. Looking around, he slowly started to remember where he was when he noticed the bed that he had slept next to. "That dream again..." He slowly stood up. "How much longer must this continue?" He made is way to the kitchen table and sat down. He then pulled out one of the protein bars he had bought for the trip. "Soon... I gotta find them soon." As he slowly ate, his stupor was eventually interrupted by footsteps from outside. He quickly ducked down and pressed himself to the wall.

"T-that's her!" He watched in surprise, as the kimono girl from the previous day walked by the shack. As she passed by, he slowly got up and followed her through the window. Eventually, she made it back to the pipe that he had came in from, and stopped. She then slowly turned towards the shack.

"S-shit!" He ducked down again and stayed down. A few second passed until he heard a splash. He nervously got back up, and saw that she had disappeared, likely through the pipe. Not wanting to lose her again, he quickly grabbed his weapon and bag, leaving what was left of the protein bar in the trash. Running out of the shack, he changed into his squid form, and jumped in the pipe after her."

"Did she go back to the city?" He began to wonder, but then he stopped. About half way down, he noticed that the passage to octovally had forked into another direction. Something that he had missed the previous day, as the other junctions lead to vary narrow pipes. Going with his gut feeling, he followed the other passage, instead of going back to the city. After a while, he ended up at another grate. Coming out and reverting to his bipedal form, he covered his eyes to keep from being blinded by the suns rays while they readjusted to the light.

"So... you finally came." Once his eyes became used to seeing light again, he saw that the girl was in front of him, and was facing forwards while holding an umbrella to shade herself. The two of them were on a large cliff side platform that was surrounded by a large canyon. The cliff sides were lined with what looked like surveillance equipment. He turned back to her again when she continued to talk. "I had a feeling when I saw you in the square yesterday.." She turned towards him. Kirin had to force himself to keep a poker face.

'I knew it.. it's her.' He stared at her with a mixture of emotions.

"Star struck huh? Well, I need you to focus." She snapped her fingers to bring his attention back to her face. "But I should properly introduce myself. I'm Marie. From the squid sisters." She struck her signature pose.

'Is she serious?' Kirin had to look down to hide his smirk. Marie, however, took that the wrong way.

"What...? Seriously? You don't know who I am?" She gave him a stunned look and she shook her head. "This isn't the same with out her... have we really fallen out of style that fast.?" She muttered. Kirin thought about correcting her. Of course he knew her. Especially being from the county. But he chose to keep his beak shut. This would work in its own way.

"Sorry... I'm kinda new around here."

"I see.. I thought you would have had some experience, considering the way you handled your weapon."

"Wait, you were watching me?" Kirin took a step back.

"Yes.." she admitted and lowered her gaze. "I still believe you're the one that can help me. You seem like the only one around here that knows how to keep his beak shut, for one." she narrowed her eyes. "I'll follow in my grandfather's example, and go with my gut on this."

"You could be making a huge mistake... assuming I even agree to help you." He crossed his arms.

"I can't force you, but at least hear me out first." Marie waved a hand, and shifted her umbrella prop. "I'm also known as Agent 2.. of the new squidbeak group. The Octarians... those... Octo slobs.." She clenched her fist. "They stole the great zapfish AGAIN!" She shouted the last part, which made him flinch a little. From what he had heard, Marie was the cool and calm one, yet she was acting far more emotional than what had been described to him in the past. "I trusted Emperor Octurus, but the army is on the move against us!"

"And... you seriously expect me to go up against the Octarian army by myself?" He asked. He wasn't surprised at this. After all, she was the one that...

"That's not how the new squidbeak group works." She cut him off again. "No.. I need you to do hit and run work, as well as gather information until I know for sure where the zapfish is being kept." She paused and he swore she was shaking a little. "And if they really did steal something else from us.."

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind." She stood upright again and held the umbrella back up. "I'll tell you more if you decide to help.. and if I think I can trust you."

"Well..." Kirin paused. He had no reason to help her. In fact, in his mind, he had more reason to tell her off. But she was only part of the reason he had come to this city he detested. But an idea was forming in his head, and he couldn't help but to grin a little. "Alright.. Agent 2... I'll help you."

"Wait, you will?" She had obviously expected him to decline, and looked surprised.

"But... you will owe me a favor... unless you'd rather call the whole thing off."

"Nono, I'll take you up on that." Marie nodded and relaxed her expression. "Thank you... Then from now on, you are Agent 4."

"Wait... 4? Shouldn't there already be a 4 and-" He froze when he realized that he had just slipped up.

"How... do you know about the others?" She gave him a suspicious look and pointed the umbrella at him. He frantically racked his brain on how to answer her.

"I.. uh.. heard about you from.. a guy I knew... Y-you know.. from two years ago?"

"That... makes sense." Kirin sighed with relief as Marie lowered the umbrella. Even though it was a regular umbrella and not a splatbrella, it was still a little unnerving to have it pointed at him. "People were bound to talk about that. Well yes.. there were six of us. The original 3 and 4 sorta retired to focus on their own lives. 5 is no longer with us... and 6 is now the current 3."

Kirin gave her a very doubtful look. "That seems really convoluted to me..."

"Tell me about it. I keep telling gramps it's time to retire the number code names... but now I can't even get through to him. But never mind that. I need you to get started right away, so head inside and get changed." Marie pointed to the small cabin that was near where he came out. It seemed really out of place with the rest of the scenery, as it looked more like something from Calamari County. "And before you ask, we call it Cuttlefish cabin... we were thinking of moving gramps up here and away from that run down shack."

"And... why do I need to get changed? I like my clothes just fine, thank you."

"The uniform has equipment you will need built into it. And you will find that an army weapon is a little more effective in the field. Now, go. We don't have all day," Marie said with an impatient tone, and tapped the umbrella tip against the ground, similar to how the captain would with his cane.

"Alright.. geez, calm your tentacles, lady." Marie glared at him as he went into the cabin.

"I miss Agent 3 already..." He could hear her sigh. The inside was larger than it looked outside, but it was still pretty cramped. It didn't take him long to find the uniform and odd looking type-H splattershot. He picked up the odd looking weapon, and examined it closely. It's design was nothing like the other splattershot models, including the old type-H, but it did catch his interest.

"This isn't what I expected, but it's kinda cool." He put the weapon on the table so he could change into uniform. "This thing is ugly... It looks like a road workers uniform or something," he grumbled. After slipping on the yellow uniform and setting the glowing headset in place over his ears, he grabbed the type-H and slung it over his shoulder. Before heading out, he caught his reflection in the mirror. "I look like a freaking Triggerfish scout..."

...

"T-the kids aren't too happy about the game limit still being in place." Marina was nervously looking out the studio window, as impatient crowds gathered around the tower to demand the 3 battle a day limit restrictions be lifted. Many of the Inklings had gone home, but some of the more enthusiastic ones were nagging at the staff, while others were gathering around the studio, hoping the pygmy squid and her Octoling co-idol would tell them all it was just a big joke. Sadly, neither her nor Pearl could tell them what they wanted to hear.

"Yeah, but what yah gonna do?" Pearl stretched out on her bean bag chair with an unconcerned look. "Yah know its our main attraction 'round here."

"I- Guess." Marina waved meekly at the crowd while Pearl shot them a glare, then went back over to sit in one of the chairs. "S-so how do you think I did? On our broadcast I mean.." She gave pearl a nervous stare.

"Yah did fine girl!" The pink and white squid grinned with her tiny beak. "You didn't even stutter today."

"Phew.. I'm glad." Marina smiled back and relaxed her expression. "I'm still glad we got to be in a band together again."

"No squidding yo! I had no idea the girl they were lookin' to hire was you!"

"I know! I never would have guessed that the girl that Otome's- er.. the human that visits my neighbor... he was talking about you."

"Grrrr... stupid fossil." Pearl growled at Marina's statement, making her jump a bit. "They should all go back in the hole they came out of."

"C-come on Pearl... You can't hate them just because he got close to the squid sisters... especially since you got to hang out with them not too long ago-"

"It isn't that..." She slouched down in the chair, looking regretful over her outburst.

"Then what? When are you gonna tell me why you are like that with the elder ra-"

"I'll tell you when you tell me why you disappeared just when we were getting hot, girl." Pearl pointed her finger at her.

"I.. uh.. right." Marina looked down. "A-anyway. I got something I have to do.." She got up after glancing on her phone.

"Wait what?" Pearl finally got off her beanbag with a confused look. "But work ain't over-"

"Sorry, but its important." She turned and headed for the door. "I probably won't be back until late.. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, wait!" She called out but to no avail, as Marina headed out the door. "Dammit, Marina.. I just.." Pearl shook her head and sighed. "I just.. don't want anything bad to happen to you or the city. Nothing good will come from the so called elder race..."

...

"So let me get this straight... we're here to get the great zapfish back, but you want me to look around this abandoned city..?" Kirin said as he looked around the ruins the transport kettle had taken him to. Before him was the ruins of the coalition city.

"Correct, 4. I still don't know where exactly it was taken, or what the Octarians are planning," Marie responded through the communicator headset. "I want you to gather information and evidence on their movements and plans. I've already been through Ceph several times, but I want you to take one last look."

"Fine, but don't blame me if I come back empty handed." Kirin went to the edge of the roof the kettle had taken him too. The city itself hadn't changed much in the last two years. Parts of the city were reduced to rubble, while other buildings still stood tall and firm. Which was good, considering the tall office building on the inkling side he had been taken to was rather high up. Now that he had finished puking from the kettle ride, Kirin was getting a feeling of vertigo, and he turned away from the edge and looked for a way down.

"You know, I told you not to look down... or do.. whatever. Anyway, there's a service ramp that you can use to get to the next building over. You should be able to ink your way down," Marie said, while watching his video feed from the headset.

"You know, we could cover more ground if you had come with me," Kirin said, as he made an ink trail and swam down to the next roof top.

"Maybe if gra- erm, the captain was still here I could have, but someone has to stay behind and play support. Trust me, I would rather have sent you with a partner... like we did the original 3 and 4." Marie had a hint of sadness in her tone as she said this.

"Yeah well... if you see the pink one, don't bother sending her my way."

"Wait... how did you know the current 3 was pink?" Kirin paused as soon as she said this.

"Uh.. I knew a guy, remember?"

"So you keep saying... either way, I really wouldn't have sent you alone if I didn't have too."

"Yeah, sure.." He dropped down from the roof top to reach another building that was directly under it.

"Wait, stop!" Marie commanded him, and he ducked behind a collapsed stairway access. Several meters away, there was a pool of purple ink. "Octarians... we finally found their trail." Kirin peaked out from the side of the access way. On the far side of the pool, was a pair of hovering gun platforms being ridden by the tried and true tentacle creature with large green fish like eyes. "Octotroopers... but.. only two of them?"

"Sounds like a cake walk." Kirin ran out from behind the access way, and slid behind a broken air conditioning unit, getting him in range of one of the troopers.

"Wait! Don't do anything rash! You're by yourself, remember?"

"Watch me." Kirin lobbed a splat bomb over the air conditioner, past the first trooper's head, and landing it behind them. The bomb exploded, and both Octarians turned their guns on where the bomb burst.

"What the hell was that!" One of them shouted, as the other nervously shivered.

"T-the inklings.. they're here already?"

"Shoot, we need to warn the others that they are here ahead of-" The trooper couldn't finish, as Kirin had raised out from behind the aircon, and shot him three times in the back, causing the talking tentacle to fall off his platform and burst into a puddle of ink.

"A-ahhh! Alarm!" The other one yelled as loud as he could, and fired a shot. Seeing this coming, he dodged the ink pellet with ease and dove into a trail he had made while the troopers were distracted. After several seconds, he circled around and hopped out of the ink. The trooper was unable to even fire a single shot, as Kirin sprayed him down with the type-H, killing the second trooper almost instantly.

"Geez.. they really are weak." Kirin lowered his weapon and eyed his handy work.

"Yes well... don't get too comfortable," Marie chimed in once things were quiet again. "Troopers may be one of the weakest breeds, but even they are dangerous in numbers."

"Yeah, what ever you say, Mariechi."

"That's agent 2 to you!" She said with a noticeable growl. "Anyway.. do you see a way down from there?" Kirin looked over the side of the roof and spotted a crane that reached from the building he was currently on, to one that was on the other side of the ruined street.

"I think this will work." He hopped over the side and landed on the crane below. The crane, however, was less stable than he thought it was, and creaked and shook from the impact. He grabbed hold of an iron bar to keep himself from falling off until the crane finally stabilized.

"Agent 4? Agent 4, are you okay?"

"Yeah... I think so... that scared the crap outta me.." he was forced to admit, and could feel his heart race.

"Good." He could hear Marie sigh with audible relief. "Please at least try to be more careful. There are no S.P.A.W.N. pads down there, you know." Kirin simply sighed in response as he vary slowly made his way down the large metal arm. He wasted no time in jumping off the crane on the other side, causing it to creak again. This time, the arm gave way, and the entire structure collapsed on to the road below and disappeared in the cloud of dust and debris it kicked up.

"Guess I'm not going back that way..." He turned away, and looked around the roof top. He didn't see any octarians, but there were a number of large crates that had symbols on them that pointed to being of military origin.

"Huh? Odd place to set up a supply dump," Marie commented from the video feed. "But we might be able to provoke a reaction out of them if we destroy it."

"You want me to level the place?" Kirin asked as he raised the type-H.

"Yes. If they respond, it might give us a-.. huh? Agent 4, take cover!"

"What? There's nothing he-"

"NOW!" As soon as she yelled this, five of the crates burst open, and the 5 octotroopers that had been waiting inside them, quickly turned their weapons on him.

"Don't move! We have you covered!" The one leading them was larger and had an extra tentacle. He slowly moved closer. "Drop the weapon!"

"Okay! Geez, cool it, yah yapping tentacle!" Kirin slowly lowered the weapon to the ground. The twintacle nodded and two of the troopers approached. When they were close enough, Kirin's lips went into a sneer, and he pulled the bomb he was holding out from behind his back.

"What the- Inkling scum! Shoot him!" The twintacle yelled.

"Too late!" Kirin rolled the bomb between the two troopers, causing it to stop in a perfect spot between them. The bomb burst, and both octotroopers were splatted before they even fell off their assault platforms. Kirin grabbed the type-H, and rand behind a small water tank that was between him and another trooper while dodging pellets. Switching to squid form, he did a small squid jump to the top of the tank, and fired down on the trooper. It tried to turn and run, but three hits on his back and he fell dead.

"4, look out!" Marie tried to warn him but wasn't quite fast enough. As Kirin lept off the the tank, he took a hit on his left shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Yeah, that's it! Take it!" The twintacle growled. He quickly moved his assault platform to the side of the tank, and saw Kirin on all fours. He was panting heavily. Thinking he had given the boy ink paralysis, the twintacle moved closer. "You should have surrendered when you had the chance, inkstain. Thanks for the free promotion, though." He squeezed the platform's trigger, but just as the shot was fired, Kirin rolled out of the way.

"I'm not going down that easy, pizza face!" he squeezed the trigger on his own weapon and the twintacle let out a scream of pain. He fell off the platform and lay dead. "Alright... where's dipshit number 5?"

"B-back up! I need back up!" The final trooper had retreated near the edge and was looking at him with a fearful expression.

"Sucks to be you!" Kirin charged forward with a sadistic grin.

"Wait! 4, your ink tank!" Heeding Marie's warning for once, he skidded to a halt, as his tank was indeed empty and there was no pool of his own ink to recharge in. He would have to wait for it to fill naturally from his own fluids. The trooper noticed this and fired wildly at him.

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" He changed to his squid form to avoid a pellet that was aimed at his head.

"Agent 4, fall back!"

"I got this!" He changed back into his normal form and charged forward. The trooper, who was not expecting this, backed all the way up to the edge of the roof and fired wildly again. This earned Kirin another hit on his arm, but he managed to close the distance. He raised his type-H, and slammed it into the troopers gut. All it could do was wheeze from having the air knocked out of it, which didn't do it much good as it fell from the roof to a certain death on the road below.

"Agent 4... that was reckless and stupid.." Marie said as Kirin leaned against poll to rest.

"Yeah... but it worked, didn't it?"

"Maybe so... but I don't want to start losing any more agents... do I make myself clear?" Kirin's eye twitched at this.

"Clear... now just let me rest."

"You know you can use the squee-g I gave you.. right?"

"No need to waste a charge on this..." He grunted in defiance. "And by the way... what's that glow over there?" Behind another water tank, he could see a yellow glow. It almost looked like the same glow the great zapfish put out during night while it was powering the tower.

"I... think you may have found a zapfish." Marie responded, and sure enough, there was a small zapfish being kept in a cage. "Agent 4, take that zapfish and find a way down to the streets. There should be another kettle nearby you can use."

"Wait.. but I thought we were here for the big one."

"We are... but those zapfish were given to them as part of the treaty we signed with them... Ca-.. Agent 1 and I were there..." Marie paused to keep her emotions in check. "Nevermind.. now that they broke the treaty, we have no reason to let the Octarians keep them."

"Fine, but don't complain to me when they start whining about it." He hit the cage several times with the splattershot until it shattered, then picked up the frightened fish.

"I'm counting on it... now think you can make it back with out being reckless?"

"No promises."

"I mean it 4... and.. agent?" Marie's tone changed which made Kirin pause.

"Yeah?"

"Frustrating as you are... you did good. I'm counting on you to keep it up," she said. Kirin thought about replying. Calling her 'Mariechi again, or just telling her what he's been keeping in. Why he agreed to do this in the first place. But he just silently shrugged to himself, as he carried the zapfish. Though finding a way back down to ground level ended up being a bigger pain than the Octarians.

...

"Enigma to Guardian. Target has taken the bait. Confirmed sighting on new agent in Ceph."

"Then Magenta was right. I'll let her know."

"Worry about that later. You know what happens if we deviate from schedule again. I'm on my way back."

"Right. I have a lead I need to check, but I'll meet you and Magenta at the zeppelin factory."

"Be careful guardian. We can't afford another slip up. Enigma out."

**A\N: Because of work, this chapter was written in small portions at a time, making my train of thought go all over the place, so I'm sorry if this one ends up sucking.**


	4. 1.4 The Nightmare part 2

 

**Authors Notes: This is as far as I had written ahead, and things are picking up in the lab. So don't expect as frequent or consistent updates from this point onwards.**

Kirin stood in front of the cabin, while eating a protein bar. He was waiting for Marie to take the zapfish to a safer location. Various thoughts circled through his head, as he nibbled on the protein bar. Thoughts about Squidbeak. Thoughts about Marie.

'I Don't understand. Why did she insist on playing it safe? Was it to make sure her little soldier stays in play? Or was it something else..? After all, she..' Kirin was unable to finish his thoughts, as the green and white Inkling came back. Kirin quickly finished off the protein bar, and tossed the wrapper aside. It was sent into the canyon below, thanks to the wind picking up.

"By the way, I called in some backup to help. He won't be able to go with you in the field, but he can assist in other-"

"So, I got two voices nagging at me in battle. Sounds reeeaaalll helpful, Mariechi." Kirin made sure to make his eye roll obvious.

"AS I WAS SAYING!" Marie returned the eye roll with a stern glare. "He may not be able to back you up in the field, but he can provide you with additional equipment. Though, he should have been here by now-"

"Hello, hello! Man this is cool!" A new voice cut in over the com unit that Kirin quickly recognized. "Ahem. sorry I can't be there in person, but I'm still putting the finishing touches on my baby!"

"Sheldon..."

"Right, excuse me. And to the new guy, I'm-"

"I know. We met yesterday in your shop," Kirin interrupted, which was becoming a theme with the horseshoe crab.

"Oh, you're right. I recognize that voice. You were in my shop with the heavy splatling the other-"

"Yeah, yeah. Now how exactly are you going to help." The green inkling was starting to get rather impatient. Or at least that's how it looked to Marie.

"Cool it, Agent 4. I know Sheldon can be annoying at times, but he's here to provide you with weapons. Other Type-H weapons to be exact."

"Right you are, Marie!" At that moment, he heard something that sounded like a large fan, and Kirin looked up to see a large box connected to several propellers, float down to him. "Anyway, Marie already told me everything and I'm honored to help Squidbeak! Tell me where you're headed next, and I'll pick you out one of my babies!"

"I've only managed to pick up activity in the workers quarters and airship factory. I was thinking of having him start in the workers quarters, as the airship factory will probably be heavily guarded since they started producing those zeppelins," Marie responded.

"Hmm... I have just the thing for the residential area." The crate lid popped open, and before Kirin knew it, he was holding a pair of nozzle weapons. "Type-H dualies. Fresh out of testing and should give you a good mix of firepower and mobility. Oh, and uh, I'm only lending these to you. I have a business to run, you know," Sheldon chuckled.

"Dualies, huh?" He looked over the twin weapons in each hand, turning them over and around for a better look. Then he pointed them at the far side of the canyon, letting loose a stream of ink at the makeshift target range Marie had set up while he was in Ceph. He popped the first two targets, then activated the rear nozzle, which propelled him forward enough to fire a stream at the third, popping it instantly.

"So what do yah think?" Sheldon asked over the communicator.

"I think I can work with this. I prefer range but.. these are pretty damn nice." Kirin whipped himself back over to Marie with the 'dodge' nozzles.

"Well that's good, because I need you to get started. You'll find the kettle... here." Marie pointed to a spot on his automapper.

"Alright. Order us some pizza while I'm gone, Mariechi." Ignoring the glare he was getting, he jumped into the kettle that had been marked, and the pressure shot him down the Octarian tunnel.

...

"Have either of you seen that lieutenant of mine?" An Octoling elite stood in front of Brandon and Tricia. Since the Octarians had merged the defensive Guardian Corps and their mobile infantry, the Mariners, all Octolings now wore the new modernized black and silver uniform, complete with a new chest plate and boots. They were also equipped with a new version of the goggles. They were red on the outside, and looked more like shades than the older ones. While some stationed in Inkopolis, like the missing Lieutenant, still wore the old armor and goggles, this elite was no exception to the new look.

"Good afternoon, Kelly. And no, we haven't," Brandon said while bending a little, due to being just under a foot taller than the elite. "We're actually still trying to figure out what happened to our own 'fearless leader'. I don't suppose you've seen him?"

The elite shrugged. "Nope. Not in a while. Interesting that they both go missing at the same time, though." Her mouth moved into a slight grin. "I had a feeling those two hadn't broken it off as much as they claimed to."

"Wait, wait..." Tricia interrupted them. "What's this about braking it off? Was the captain.. uh... doing something.. with one of them..?" Her face went a little red.

"Private, I know you were still frozen in the Technodyne facility when the shit that went down two years ago happened, but are you seriously going to tell me you haven't heard the gossip about them?" He gave her a stunned look, but saw that she really didn't know. "Those two were the talk of both the facility and the Octarians, until they were pretty much forced to break up."

"Yeah... a lot of it not good," Kelly sighed in agreement and shook her head. "Poor girl is still probably a virgin too."

"Wait... that's.. that's what you question?" Brandon gave her a look that couldn't have been more bewildered.

"I'm just saying... that could be why they are missing. To remedy that." Kelly raised her arms to exaggerate the point.

"Your friend and subordinate is missing, and you're worried about h-her.. doing that?" Tricia looked like she was going to faint from how red faced she was.

"Yeah well, I know the pain of liking someone and not being able to act-" Kelly froze as she caught what she was saying.

"Wait, you have a guy you like? But you're the one always acting like everyone's big sis-" Brandon started.

"You know what? Shut up! I never said that!" She shouted in a way that was completely out of character for her. There was a reason why she was often called the Octarian version of Marie before off the hook became a thing. So those that knew her, like Brandon, would naturally be suspicious.

"Hey, Lieutenant! You're making a girl red! And I don't mean the tentacles!" Takeshi yelled from the other platform. Kelly immediately whipped around and flashed him the Octarian version of the bird.

"You know what? You fossils can all go jump in front of the train!" Kelly stomped off, leaving Brandon and Tricia still bewildered.

"Hey! Wanna go out with me instead?" Takeshi called after her, which just earned him another bird. "Is that a yes?"

"Takeshi, I swear, if I ever become captain, I'm sending you to work in the treatment plant permanently," Brandon said when he finally recovered. "All right, everyone get your asses on the train, its almost time to get this test underway!"

"But what about-" Tricia started to say.

"If the captain doesn't show up soon, we'll have to leave with out him. Because I'm done with this."

...

"Callie... used to watch the stars with me, when we were kids.." Marie absentmindedly commented while watching the video feed. The dome in the workers quarters was set to a nighttime theme, with stars lined all around the walls of the dome's artificial sky.

"Something you want to tell me?" Kirin asked, as he took cover behind one of the large rounded buildings. There were currently no Octarians visible, though that didn't mean there were none at all.

"Yes... I suppose I should tell you the real reason I need help," Marie said with a very audible sigh. "Look... Callie... my cousin.. also known as Agent 1. She.. she went missing and.. I think the Octarians took her along with the zapfish."

"What makes you so sure?" Kirin moved down a narrow alley.

"Because she vanished around the same time I found that the former Mariner leader had escaped, and- Wait, stop!" Marie commanded, and Kirin took cover. Around the corner, a rather large Octarian sat perched on a fire escape. A long barrel extended in front of it, and it was scanning the alley ways with a laser sight. "Ugh.. Octosniper. Callie always hated these. Don't let it get a lock on you."

"I kinda figured that." He ducked behind a dumpster. The narrow space made it hard to approach the sharpshooter, but he found something that caught his interest. A lone Octotrooper was sleeping, likely loafing on the job. "This could work." He grinned and grabbed the trooper, causing it to wake instantly. The Octarian yelped as he hurled it over the dumpster, right into the sniper's sight. Not bothering to check its target, the sniper shot the trooper, and would have killed it, if not for the matching ink.

"Ha! Idiot." Kirin ran out from behind his cover. Before the sniper could charge another shot, he used the dodge nozzle to propel himself forward, then he hurled a bomb on to the cat walk. The sniper tried to get off his perch, but was unable to get out of the way before it burst, and fell to the street, dead.

"I guess that's one way to get passed those slobs," Marie commented. Cursing, the trooper got up and slowly wobbled off, the ink obscuring its sight as it banged into a lamp post. Kirin rolled his eyes, and turned back to the path he was on. "The way ahead is clear, but I'm getting a reading at the end of the path. At least try to be stealthy this time."

"I'll think about it." He slowly moved through the alley, making sure there weren't any more snipers that were positioned better than the one he took out. He eventually reached a dead end, and decided to climb another fire escape. Kirin went inside an open window on the second floor of the building that was blocking his way. The halls were rather drab. White tile floors, concrete tiles and roof. The building seemed to be an apartment complex, as all the doors were numbered and locked.

"Rather orderly, isn't it?" Marie commented, sensing his unease as he slowly moved forward. "Besides the capital building, I noticed most Octarian structures were like this. I guess they really don't have time or room to really make their own homes fresh."

"That so?" Kirin paused when he finally found a door that was unlocked, which he hoped would lead to a window he could climb out of.

"4, halt!" Marie said, as he was about to open it. "I've got two readings ahead. It looks like a pair of Octolings. Be ready to fry them if they see you, as they won't be pushovers like the troopers."

"You just let me do the talking.. or rather these." Kirin looked down at the yellow type-H dualies, and slowly opened the door. The inside of the room didn't look much different from the outside, say for the furnishings that the occupants would need to use for daily life. The first room looked clear, and he could see a window on the far side of the back room. Holding the duel nozzles in front of him, he was about to enter the second room, when an Octoling with thick bright red tentacles came out of the nearby bathroom. Startled, the two could only stare at each other, waiting for one to snap out of the trance. Eventually, the Octoling opened her mouth to yell.

"Don't!" Kirin lurched forward and grabbed her with his arm, getting her in a hold and pointed the nozzle at her. "Keep your mouth shut if you want to live passed the next few minutes."

"S-sis!" Another voice said from the room with the window. He turned himself and the Octoling he was holding around, and he could see a younger looking one that had slimmer tentacles in a pony tail, and small pink rings around her eyes. Kirin quickly pointed the other nozzle at her.

"You stay back! I want outta here, get it? Now, get away from the window."

"She's just a kid... don't you dare touch her.." the one he was holding growled. Kirin pressed the end of the nozzel that was pointed at her to her neck.

"I didn't ask for your input. Just do as I say, and I won't have to."

"Wait, 4. We may be able to get some information out of them," Marie cut in rather loudly, making Kirin wince a little. Before Kirin could do anything, however, several pairs of boots could be heard clacking down the hallway at a rapid pace. Kirin turned the Octoling he was holding around, just in time to see two dark tentacled elites burst into the room.

"Halt, Inkling! You are in violation of the 2019 treaty. Drop your weapons and let her go!" Barked the older looking of the two as they fanned out. Kirin started backing towards the window, pulling his hostage along with him.

"Yeah, that's pretty funny, isn't it?. I mean, it's not like you didn't steal the great zapfish first."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.."

"Agent 4, ask them if they know anything about-"

"Sorry, but I have no time for sharkshit." With out warning, Kirin hurled the Octoling he was holding at the elite that was standing between him and the younger one. She was knocked back, and Kirin used the dodge nozzle to hurl him self at the window, just as the other open fired. He hit the glass, and used the dodge nozzle a second time, causing the window to shatter. As he fell, he did his best to shoot ink to where he thought he was going to land. Just before hitting, he changed to squid form, and splashed into a small puddle. As he reverted, he noticed that he had narrowly avoided a large shard of glass.

"After him! Don't let him escape!" The leader shouted, and Kirin wasted no time in heading back into the maze of alley ways, and away from the streets.

"4! Right path! Now!" He made a hard right as his operator instructed, and it wasn't long before his pursuers had faded into the background. He slowed to a slow walk to catch his breath, then thanked the stars when he saw a vending machine. He didn't even bother to try his inkling money, and just bashed it a few times with the dualies.

"Ohhhh... that hits the spot," he said, while chugging an energy drink.

"I hope so... because you may have compromised us, 4.." Marie cut in with a tone that couldn't have been more annoyed. "I could have asked about my cousin.."

"Like they would have known, and they wouldn't have said anything if they did. You heard her tone." He took another sip before crushing the can and tossing it aside.

"Well lucky for you, we may get another chance."

"What do you mean, Mariechi-"

"Shut it, 4. There's an open lot just up ahead. I'm getting two more readings. Head there and get some answers this time. I mean it, 4!"

"Yeah, I got it, I got it." Rolling his eyes, Kirin rounded the corner and peaked into the lot as Marie instructed. From where he was standing, he could make out two more female figures. "Wait.. something is different about them."

"That's... Agent 4, get closer!" Marie commanded, and got close to the screen she was watching from. As Kirin sneaked to a small outdoor toilet, he got a better view on the pair of Octolings. One had a slightly darker tone in her tentacles, and was wearing silver goggles over her fore head, as opposed to the newer red tinted ones. Her eyes were yellowish and focused on the other Octoling. Her armor was also a simple rounded chest plate instead of the new uniform which had a larger flat plat across the chest. The other had on casual clothes, and had darker skin. She also wore a headband, and her dark tentacles had teal tips. The two seemed to be arguing, and the red one had her weapon pointed at the other.

"Wait.. that's.. It can't be! What are those two doing here?" Marie snapped out of it once he was close enough to listen in on the argument.

"I said where is he?" The red one yelled, and made the darker one back up.

"I-I don't know!" The darker one put her hands out in front of her. "Y-you know I'm not-"

"Don't lie to me! I know you were under his direct command as a combat engineer!" The red one's eyes narrowed and waved the octoshot.

"T-that was two years ago! Y-you know I'm no longer part of the Mariner Corps!" She continued to back up with an increasingly frightened look on her face. "C-come on.. You know me, Ot-"

"Marina Ida, combat engineer and lead developer of the flooders. You were commended by him on several occasions. I KNOW you know where his hide out is!"

"Marina...?" Kirin's ears perked up. "That girl that was with pearl? What is she doing here?" He silently crept closer to the arguing duo. By now the red one was starting to back Marina into a corner and shouting something about Magenta.

"I don't know... but I think I know who the other one is," Marie cut in again. "Agent 4, I need you to break it up. Neither of them are to be harmed."

"What? Why? I get Marina, but why the other one? Would be easier to just shoot her."

"I mean it, 4!"

"Fine, fine. Just cut my tentacles off, why don'tcha. So how am I supposed to do that with out even using ink paralysis?" Kirin twirled the duelies in his hand to keep himself from going in guns blazing.

"Agent 4, I may have a suggestion," Sheldon chimed in on his own communicator to stop them from arguing. "Perhaps a distraction would be in order? Or make them think that there's more than one of you. You have those curling bombs I gave you, right?"

"Hmmm..." Kirin paused to look at the ground between him and the arguing females. "I like the way you think, Sheldon." Kirin grinned, and set a curling bomb on the ground, but didn't activate it yet. After refilling his ink tank, he placed another two next to it. Once the bombs were placed, he kicked the activator on all three, and sent them speeding towards the pair.

"Listen to me, Otome. You know me! I'm not a spy- Ahh!" Marina was the first to notice, and used the brief moment that the one called Otome paused, to run away from her and towards him. Otome, on the other hand, did a combat roll between the other two curling bombs. They passed by and exploded behind her. As Kirin swam in the ink trail to Marina, Otome fired several shots at the other trails to cover them up, then turned to Kirin.

"So you're the agent he was talking about.." She looked him up and down with an unimpressed expression. "I'm only going to warn you once. Stay out of this. Neither you, the pink one, nor Marie know what's at stake, and we've come too far to let this fall apart." She dropped a bomb in front of her, then turned and ran to a nearby kettle.

"You, stay right there, and stay down!" He yelled at Marina, before reaching to his headset. "Marie, who the hell was that? She called you by name."

"Otome Maroon... She's.. our friend. Mine and Callies... but.. why is she here? Is this where she's been all this time?"

"That didn't look very friendly to me. I'm going after her." Kirin ran towards the kettle that Otome had already gone through.

"But if she's here.. then.. Wait, stop!" Marie's warning came just in time, as a loud crack was heard from one of the nearby buildings and Kirin skidded to a halt. A puff of dirt shot up several yards from the kettle in front of him. Another loud crack, and something hit the kettle's control console, causing it to short out and shut down. Kirin quickly turned and ran back to where Marina was, and jumped behind a dumpster after grabbing on and pulling her with him.

"Marie, what the hell was that!" Kirin yelled into the communicator when the dust settled. Marina was curled up in the corner and shivering. It took several seconds for Marie to respond, but when she did, it was clear that she was shaken up.

"That... that was... a gunshot." Her voice was breaking up and filled with disbelief. Kirin, on the other hand, seemed to have no clue what she was talking about.

"A what? Is this some sort of new Octarian weapon?" He turned to Marina, who was still shaken up.

"N-no! T-that's not Octarian tech. I swear!" She put her hand up in front of her face.

"She's telling the truth, Agent 4. That was..." Marie sighed heavily before finishing her train of thought. "That was an elder race weapon."

"Great... so Pearl was right. The humans really are-"

"Wait, how do you know Pearlie?" Marina interrupted him with wide eyes. Kirin could only stare as he tried to look for an excuse for his blunder. Lucky for him, Marie wasn't about to waste time.

"Never mind that. Agent 4, escort Marina back to Octocanyon. We need to have a talk."

"But shouldn't I go after-"

"That's an order, 4. Besides, you aren't getting to the zeppelin factory in that kettle. I'll find another route once you two are safe back at the cabin." Marie cut the feed, as if to say that the discussion was over. Kirin looked over to the Octoling girl, and reached out a hand to help her up.

"You coming?" He asked. Marina nodded, and he pulled her back on her feet. "You're awfully trusting to an armed Inkling.. you know that?"

"A-any friend of Pearl, is a friend of mine." Marina meekly smiled.

"Yeah... there's no way you're in their army." Kirin turned and headed back to the first kettle that was on the automap.

"Haha.. r-right." Marina quickly followed him and changed to her octopus form, as the two reached the kettle. A loud whoosh later, and the two were shot back to where Marie was waiting for them.

...

"Enigma to Guardian. Confirmed this Agent 4 has returned to the neutral zone. Magenta and I will have to take the long way to the zeppelin factory."

"Understood. I've already called on a carrier zeppelin to pick you up with the rest of the squad."

"Fine, but i just got another warning about losing any more zapfish." The coms went dead for several seconds.

"We've come too far... We have to see this through."

"I know.. but I have an idea. Make sure the rest of the zeppelin squadron is ready to deploy. Enigma out."

...

"Final preparations be complete. Ready to leaving any times." A jelly fish that had been assigned the job of driving the subway train on its maiden voyage was addressing Captain Scylls and Lieutenant Finn. They had just finished loading up their respective squads on the train, along with the Inkling army.

"All my men are accounted for," Brandon responded.

"Same here.. well, except for my lieutenant," Kelly added.

"And the captain... seriously, I don't know where the hell he's wandered off too, but we'll have to leave those two behind." The two followed the jelly on the train. As he went to the engine car, Brandon met up with the Becker siblings and Matt. "Before you ask, no. The captain still isn't here."

"Well that's typical." Matt rolled his eyes behind the tactical goggles.

"Matt, knock it off. You take Tricia, Justin and Takeshi to the front car. I'll take Reggie and Kenny to the back." The group split up, and Brandon lead the two back to the rear car with Kelly following behind them. After the last few army inklings got on board, the train finally began its trial run. The train smoothly ran down the subway tracks, clacking as it went, and the three humans took a seat. Kelly plopped down next to Brandon, and took her goggles off, revealing her Inkling eye mask. Something that was still rare for her to do.

"Hey.. what's her deal?" Kenny whispered to Reggie.

"The Octoling? What about her?" he looked over to see Kelly leaning back, clearly tired.

"Her eyes are different from the others."

"Ah.. about that. I heard from the Captain's gi- er, ex girlfriend that she had an Inkling father."

"Seriously? I didn't know cross breeding was a thing-"

"I can still hear you" The Octoling elite said, not bothering to look up at them.

"S-sorry, ma'am."

"Kenny, cool it. We're just hear to help test the subway line. Nothing more." Brandon turned away from them and watched the tunnel lights flick by as the train picked up speed. "It would be nice if at least one day went by where everything went right."

...

"Are you sure you don't know where the leader is, Marina?" Marie asked, as she and Kirin stood next to the cabin with the dark tentacled Octoling. By now, the sun was setting and it was almost night time. Marie had been questioning Marina since Kirin had evacuated her from the workers quarters while Kirin stood silently.

"I- I'm sorry. I don't know. T-the old hide out used to be in the valley.. and.. he's not there any more." Marina looked down for a moment, then quickly raised her head with a look that made Kirin think she had been caught doing something wrong.

"Marina...? What is it?" Marie asked and shifted her parasol to her other shoulder.

"I.. I just had a thought." She fidgeted a little before continuing, and Kirin wondered how she was able to keep her cool on stage. "I.. I might be able to hack in.. to their communications net, I mean."

"You can do that?" Marie raised an eye brow.

"Yes! Why didn't I think of this before?!" The Octoling quickly took a laptop out of her bag and set it on the bench next to the cabin. She started hitting keys at a pace that stunned both Marie and Kirin, as she typed in codes. After a few minutes, the screen changed, and a loading bar started to slowly fill. "Phew... I made it passed Security." Marina breathed a sigh of relief and wiped off her front tentacles.

"Looks like this could take a while. Agent 4, why don't you hit the airship and zeppelin factory next? I it should be right about..." Marie looked over Kirin's automap.

"Here." Marina leaned over and marked a point. "Though, I warn you.. that's gonna take you right to the production line."

"That's fine.. just makes this go quicker." Kirin nodded to Marina, and was about to head out, when the airborne weapon's crate appeared in front of him, and the recognizable voice of the weapons dealer cut in on the communicator.

"Just a moment! You're gonna want some range going into that factory," Sheldon said, and the crate opened up to reveal a type-H charger. He reached in to pick it up, and looked it over. "This baby is tricky, but if you know how to use a splatling, you should get the basic idea. And you got the best charger user to teach you how to use it." Marie grinned a little at his last comment.

"I think I can handle myself. And Mariechi looks busy," Kirin said. This made the grin turn into an eye roll, and earned a giggle from Marina. "Well, I'm off. Don't have too much fun now."

"Agent 4, wait!" Marina said, as he was about to turn away and head for the kettle. "Thank you for getting me out of that." The Octoling smiled at him, and he quickly turned away.

"Don't mention it.." Kirin left the chattering girls behind, and wasted no time in hopping in the transport kettle. Soon, he was flying down the tunnel at breakneck speed until he reached the other end a minute later. Feeling a little sick again, he slowly stepped out. "I don't think I'm going to ever get used to that.."

"Callie still hasn't.." Marie said over the com with an audible sigh. "But anyway, it looks like you made it to the factory."

"Yeah.. and she wasn't kidding about being in the middle of it.." Kirin looked around the industrial dome. Several airships were picking up supplies from a nearby hanger. On his right, he could see another airship being assembled on a large dry dock looking structure. In front of him, zeppelins were being produced on a large assembly line. One took off and headed in another direction after the assembly was complete. Ignoring it, Kirin headed towards the assembly line. After a few minutes, another zeppelin appeared from where the regular airships were being serviced. It was larger than the others, and had a platform underneath to haul cargo.

"Wait.. hold up Agent 4." Marie said when the zeppelin was closer. "Do you.. hear something?" Kirin stopped in his tracks, and his ears twitched.

"I hear it too.." He looked around, until his eyes fixed on the larger zeppelin.

"Does that sound like... singing to you?" Marie asked. Kirin's ears perked up as the sounds of voices became more audible.

"I- think so..?" He watched as the zeppelin got closer, and the singing became more clear. Once it started to pass overhead, he could make out several figures on the platform. There were several Octotroopers, 3 Octolings, and an a tall unknown figure that was covered in blue armor. But after a few moments, he noticed something was off. One of the figures, the one that was singing, had two large smooth tentacles that were jet black, unlike other Octolings who were red or dark brown. She also was not wearing the uniform of the others, and her clothes looked more Inkling. "Uhhh.. Marie.. who is that?" Kirin asked, but the only voice that he could here was that of the singing girl.

"Marie? What's going on here?" Still no response from Marie. One of the Octolings joined in the unknown girl in the singing. The duo sounded quite beautiful to him, and he would have continued to give the two his attention, if he hadn't noticed two sets of eyes on him. The other Octoling was staring at him. She wasn't wearing her goggles, and he recognized the eyes and retro armor. It was the girl from before that had warned him to stay away. Next to her, the armor covered figure was also watching him. A helmet and gas mask prevented Kirin from making out its details, but it was larger than the others on the platform.

"T-that's... those are..." Marie sputtered. Kirin watched them fly by. They had clearly seen him, but didn't seem to alert the others or attack from above, which only added to the confusion. Both Marie and Kirin stood stunned and confused, until she finally broke the silence. "H-huh? Agent 4, take cover!"

"W-what?" He snapped out of it, only to see another pair of zeppelins fly over him. Unlike the large one, they were spraying ink all over the ground. "Ah, crap!" he turned to run, but he was suddenly grabbed from behind, and could only yelp as he was pulled under one of the assembly platforms. The zeppelin passed over, and ink covered the ground and roof around where he had been pulled in.

"Geez. I know she's awesome, but stay focused, dude!" An unknown female voice said. Kirin was whipped around to face his savior. She had the same uniform he did, and was armed with another type-H splattershot. Her tentacles were bright pink and in an unusual twin tail look, and she looked a year older than him. His eyes widened when he saw her last defining feature. One purple eye and one yellow eye. And if she was an agent, only one of them fit that description.

"Oh, no.."


	5. 1.5 - The Nightmare part 3

 

The dome containing the airship factory was in full swing, producing and repairing both the circular airships and the new Octo-zeppelins. Adding to this, was the shouting of angry Octotroopers, the clacking of Octoling boots and the dripping from the ink raining down on the two agents by a zeppelin that was hovering over where the duo had taken shelter. Ink ran down the walls of the narrow crawlspace that Kirin and the pink female had ducked into. But a sound that had managed to drown out everything else, was being broadcast over their headsets.

"Neptune?! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" The sudden and unexpected roar over the headset by Marie, caught both him and the girl called Neptune by surprise, and they both quickly grabbed their heads and loosened the headsets to keep their ears from bleeding. They could hear Marina making a surprised squeaking sound in the background.

"Geez, chill, Marie! And what happened to the code names, huh?" Neptune asked, once the wave of pain was over.

"Don't give me that! I've been trying to get a hold of you for days, trying to figure out if you and gramps were okay!" Marie continued with a still frustrated tone.

"What are you talking about? I've been stuck down here trying to regroup with the others. Did something happen to the old coot?"

"Neptune, he left a note saying that he was taking Agent 3 on a-" Marie paused when she came to a realization and her tone quickly returned to her normal, albeit exasperated self. "And that means it was the original Agent 3 after all... No wonder I couldn't get a hold of Levin, either." The line went quiet for a few minutes, though they could make out a muffled conversation between Marie and Marina. Kirin swore he heard several creative curses mixed in, until she finally got back on the line. "I swear, when they get back, we are going to have a serious talk about these stupid number code names."

"Tell me about it. What was wrong with my old number, anyway?" Neptune rolled her eyes, and getting tired of the conversation, Kirin soon butted in.

"That's fine and all, but don't we have something more pressing to deal with, girls?" Kirin pointed outside, where more zeppelins were starting to gather, and a square shaped helicopter like craft was using search lights to scan the area. Kirin took aim at the pilot of the block helicopter with his charger.

"Fine.. I guess I know where that other suit and type-H went," she sighed. "Anyway, don't bother trying to take that down with a hand weapon. You'd need something like an inkzooka." Marie said, having calmed down some. "Just try to stay out of its vision, or you'll have the fleet on you in minutes."

"Forget about the seeker. If you guys are here to shut this place down, the zapfish is up there." Neptune pointed to the top of the assembly line, and Kirin caught site of the glowing orb containing the zapfish. The ramps that lead up were all either being guarded by Octolings, or covered by ink from zeppelins.

"Okay, so.. how do we get up there?" Kirin asked, as he returned his gaze to the pink agent.

"Dude, use your head. At least pay attention to your surroundings." Neptune then pointed to the platform that was nearby. Near the platform's edge, was a glowing orb structure.

"Oh, a grapplink node!" Sheldon cut in. "That's perfect! Shoot it with ink, and it will pull you up to it. That should get you in range-"

"Yes, thank you, Sheldon. But kindly stop butting in," Marie said, cutting him off. "From what I can see, that platform will give you a better vantage point, but the seeker will see you before you're even off the grapple node."

"You just leave that to me." Neptune grinned.

"Agent 3, you need to get back and, hey wait!" Marie yelled at her to stop, but Neptune ran from the cover they were hiding under. She ran right into the Octoseeker's spot light, getting its attention instantly. She stuck her tongue out at the pilot, then proceeded to give him the Octarian, Inkling and human versions of the bird. Not surprisingly, the pilot sounded the alarm and started chasing after her. She quickly turned, and headed away from the assembly line, to where the airship drydock was, as two zeppelins turned to follow. "Dammit, 3... Agent 4, get up there and cover her!"

"I get it, calm your tentacles," Kirin huffed, and shot a stream at the grapple target. As soon as the stream hit, something similar to a S.P.A.W.N. tether beam latched on, and he was dragged up to the upper platform in squid form. Once the beam dis-engaged, he quickly reverted to bipedal, raised the charger again, and fired a shot at the zeppelin. The stream hit, and simply slid off the hull. "Marie, this isn't working."

"Can you get to higher ground? Marina says there should be a weak point on the top." Marie said, while closely watching his feed, leaning on the edge of her chair. Marina would occasionally glance up from her hack job to watch as well.

"I don't see a way to get higher. Guess she'll have to fend for herse-"

"Wait, there's an ink rail next to your position. It looks like it leads to the assembly line." Kirin looked to his left, and just as Marie said, a powered down line was sitting on the edge of the platform. "Shoot it to activate it. Quick, before that thing moves out of range!" Doing as he was told, he fired a partially charged shot at the orb, and a line quickly extended from the base, all the way to the upper assembly line on the other side of the walkway.

"This is getting ridiculous," Kirin complained, and nervously set one of his feet on the rail. Almost instantly, his body started to be pulled along the line. He yelped, and put is other foot on the rail. He felt like he was going to lose his balance as he soared down the line, but the ink in the rail kept his feet tethered to the line. Almost dropping his weapon, he turned to face the first zeppelin, just as he started to pass over it. The first thing he noticed, was a large tentacle sticking out of the top of the aircraft.

"What the? That looks like the sentient tentacles they used to control the great octo-weapons," Marie said as he tried to lock on with his charger.

"Oh, you're right. Fascinating! I've always wanted to see one of those up close!" Sheldon said loudly, with a sound that hinted of drooling.

"Sheldon! Enough with the nerding out!" Marie said, trying to keep her composure. "And quit butting in! Agent 4, shoot that thing already!" Kirin lined up the tentacle with the laser, but paused when the charge was full. He thought about ignoring it, and letting the pink one swallow the pill that she had taken. But he decided against it, and let the stream loose. It hit the tentacle in the center, and it split in two. The zeppelin stopped in its tracks, before spinning out of control. It soon hit the street below the assembly line, and exploded into ink and scrap.

"That's one." Kirin hopped off the rail and went to the side of the platform to take aim at the second zeppelin that was moving out of range.

"Hurry, 4! You're gonna lose it!"

"I got this Mariechi. Though, the pink one better appreciate this." He fired another shot, and the second zeppelin fell from the sky. The seeker was still giving chase to Neptune, but there was nothing he could really do about that. He was about to head to where the zapfish was being kept, but something caught his eye. In a large clear container, was a white circular robot. It seemed to be powered down, but gave off an odd feeling of being both cutesy and menacing.

"Industrial squee-g." Marie said, anticipating his question. "I'd heard about these, but I didn't know there were any around still, since their targeting was reported to be flawed."

"Is it.. dangerous?" Kirin took a step back.

"Very dangerous. You know how a normal squee-g will clean foreign ink off of you? Well this one will literally clean your ink and other fluids right out of your body."

"Uhh... yeah. I think I'll just not mess with this." Kirin backed away and slowly walked around the storage cube.

"That would be smart, 4. Now heads up. I'm reading two guards near where the zapfish is being kept," Marie said. Kirin peaked around the corner, and sure enough, two nervous looking Octolings were standing near the orb.

"This might be a good time to make use of the new save charge ability on the charger," Sheldon cut in again. "Just dive into your ink while charging, and your type-H will retain its charge for a few seconds."

"That.. actually sounds pretty useful..."

"Oh, it is. Trust me on that," Marie cut in, and he swore she was smirking on her end. Rolling his eyes, despite no one being there to see it, Kirin charged a shot to make a trail from his corner to the other side of the platform, before lobbing a bomb to where the to Octolings were. The first quickly dove away, having been alerted to the inkling from the charger shot, but the second, a young rookie, made the mistake of backing herself into a corner. The bomb went off, and splattered ink all over her. As paralysis took over, all she could do, was slide down the wall.

"You'll pay for that, dogfish of squidbeak!" The other Octoling hissed, and rushed Kirin's hiding spot. Not bothering to respond, he leaned out of the corner he was in, and aimed his charger at the Octoling. However, he didn't notice the weapon she was carrying, until a blaster ball came hurtling towards him. He barely had time to dive in his ink, as the splash effect of the ball grazed his shoulder. "You'd best come out of there and give up. I know all about inkling weapons, and you're not gonna get another shot off before I plant a ball in your stupid squid eye mask!"

"Yeah, guess again!" Kirin emerged from the far side of the ink trail, with his charger raised. The Octoling sneered, thinking she had an easy victory, but didn't notice the fact that his weapon retained its charge until it was too late. A stream of ink hit her in the gut, just under the chest armor, and she was knocked backwards, flat on her back. She moaned from the severe pain.

"Fresh moves, 4. Now get that zapfish, and get back here with 3," Marie said, as Kirin freed the zapfish from the generator it was hooked up to. As soon as it was disconnected, the zeppelin production line froze up, and shut down. Kirin raised his charger to finish off the Octoling he had shot. She simply glared at him, expecting her life to be ended any second. But seconds passed, as he held the weapon with out squeezing the trigger. Instead, he moved the barrel to the Octoling's face, and used it to slowly peel the tactical goggles off of her.

"Huh... he was right.. they are kinda cute now that I get a good look," He mumbled, as her expression turned from a glare to pure confusion. Then the pained expression returned, and he could tell that she was hit with enough ink that she would die with out aid. "Ah, screw it." He went around behind her, and fished out the girl's squee-g from her pocket. He tossed the robot onto her stomach, and it went to work on the boy's green ink. "You can tend to your partner when you're able to get off your own ass." He turned away from her, and headed to the edge of the assembly line.

"Don't... expect.. the favor... returned... next time," the Octoling grunted, still in serious pain.

"Trust me. There won't be a next time. Later, hot stuff." He hopped from the upper platform to the lower level, where a zeppelin was nearly finished and just awaiting the sentient tentacle that was suspended from a now powered down crane. "Now where did that damn pink one get too.." Kirin looked around.

"Wait, I've finally got her camera feed back up. She's headed right towards you and- WHAT THE HELL!?" Marie went from calm to frenzied in a split second, which made Kirin whip around to the far side of the street he had last seen her.

"Marie, what are you shouting abou- What... the.. hell?" He froze up when he saw what had set Marie off. Neptune was coming towards them at a rapid pace with the Octoseeker still in hot pursuit. But it wasn't what Nuptune was doing that stunned them. It was what she was riding.

"I-Is that what I think it is?" They could hear Marina ask in the background.

"It is... an industrial squee-g... dammit 3." She let out the most exasperated sigh yet.

"Hey! Hey, 4! You might wanna get it in gear before you miss your ride!" Neptune shouted as the squee-g passed under the lower platform he was on.

"Oh you have got to be squidding me," Kirin groaned. He took a few steps back, then took a running jump off the platform, landing on the back side of the squee-g Neptune was riding. He lost his balance on landing, but Neptune grabbed him to keep him from falling off.

"Never fear, Neptune's here!" She grinned and flashed a peace sign.

"Agent 3, what the hell were you thinking? No, where did you even find this?" Marie asked, once she regained her composure.

"Details, details. It works doesn't it?" She tossed a splat bomb out in front of the robot, which it started to chase on sight. "Now, onward my pet! Do my bidding!" Kirin stared at her, not believing her behavior, even after what he had already been told about the pink agent.

"I.. think she's talking to the squee-g.. I hope." Marie face palmed at her desk, and almost planted her whole head on the keyboard of her laptop. "Anyway, you'd better get a move on, because that seeker is gaining." Kirin turned, and sure enough, the Octarian quad copter was catching up to the industrial squee-g. Neptune tossed out another bomb, as Kirin raised his charger, and he could clearly see the pilot behind reinforced glass. Seeing no other options, he aimed his sights at the cockpit.

"That ain't gonna work. Trust me, I tried." Neptune said, keeping the squee-g's attention on the road as it ran down an unfortunate Octotrooper.

"You got a better idea?" He was about to fire, when an explosion rocked the seeker. The pilot was instantly killed, and the quad copter started spinning into a free fall, until it slammed against the assembly line, taking out a few zeppelins that were still in early production.

"Whoa! Nice shot, dude! We got ourselves a badass here, Mariechi!" Nuptune said with a grin. She slapped Kirin's shoulder, which almost made him fall off.

"Don't you start that too!" Marie grumbled. "Look, just make a right up ahead." Neptune threw a bomb into the right path at an intersection, and the industrial squee-g followed, squeaking all the way.

"Actually, that wasn't me." Kirin said, and sat down on the robots top.

"What do you mean that wasn't you?" Neptune turned back to him with a questioning look.

"That explosion looked like it came from the other side to me. And I didn't even fire my weapon." Neptune continued to give him an odd look, until they reached a dead end. There was a kettle right under the Squee-g. Neptune tossed her last bomb casing to the street they came from, and the two hopped off of it as it chased after the bomb.

"That kettle will take you back to Octo canyon. Putting aside the fact that we need to have a talk, it looks like Marina found something." Marie said over the communicator when they were clear of the squee-g.

"Yeah, yeah. We're on our way back." Neptune changed forms and hopped into the kettle. Kirin sighed and shook his head before walking over to it. "Dude, you coming?" He could hear Neptune call from the kettle. Sighing again, he followed her inside, and the two were shot back to home base.

...

"Enigma..."

"I know..."

"We failed..."

"I KNOW... He's really done it this time."

"Days of planning wasted..."

"Yes... but we both know he would have done it anyway... All we can do is remain where we are.. Or I will. You will be in more trouble than me, if you stay."

"I'm not leaving her either."

"Yes... he can't be allowed to take magenta from the dome."

"They're currently in the arena, still."

"Then that is where we engage them."

...

"Hey hey! I found it!" Marina waved at Kirin, as he approached the shack with Neptune.

"Yeah, that's great and all, and I'm sure it's amazing. But anyone got a drink or something? I'm dying here." Neptune said, and flopped down on the porch. Marie tossed her a water bottle, and she wasted no time chugging it.

"Err.. who is she?" Marina asked.

"Meet Agent 3. The current Agent 3," Marie commented.

"Neptune Sireness." She said between gulps. "And I know you're Marina and all that. You're pretty good on stage."

"O-oh, thank you." Marina smiled a little.

"Not holding a candle to the squid sisters, of course." Neptune grinned.

"Alright, enough of that." Marie snapped her finger to get their attention. "Marina found where the Octarian stronghold is. I'm sure Octavio has my cousin with him as well.

"Who?" Kirin looked up at her.

"A pain in the ass that still hasn't learned his lesson. I still owe him for helping take something from me two years ago," Neptune answered for Marie with a very violent sounding hiss, which startled him for a second.

"Tch.. you would think that, wouldn't you.. Agent 6," Kirin mumbled under his breath.

"As I was saying..." Marie continued. "Marina has located him at the lowest area of Octocanyon in the hazardous Cephalon sector."

"Y-yes, but you will have to go through the control center for the main industrial dome," Marina said nervously. "I'll mark the kettle for you, but it's sure to be guarded by elites at the very least. You should sneak through if you can. The only other way to get down there is with air craft. Last I heard, they were gathering at the old assembly hall."

"Aircraft that we don't have... yet," Marie interrupted. "And I'm gonna have to send you alone initially. Something happened at Moray towers, and I have to send Neptune to deal with it."

"Oh, come on! I just got back to the surface!" Neptune groaned, but before Marie could chastise her, their communicators all activated at once, and a very static laden voice could be heard.

"...eave... no..w.."

"What? Who is this?" Marie pressed a hand to her communicator ear piece.

"le... thi.. lace.. ow.." The static continued to be too heavy to make anything out.

"I don't know who this is, but get off the line! If you get in our way, Agent 4 will mess you up! And if this is Octavio trying to screw with us again, you'll get messed up anyway." Marie angrily shut her device off. "Just ignore that. Agent 4, I need you to head out now. Remember, don't enter the assembly hall with out us. Just get through the control sector and make sure the entrance to Cephalon is clear."

"Uhh sure. Whatever." He shrugged and went to the weapons crate to swap out his equipment.

"Interesting choice for help." Marina commented.

"Yeah... He reminds me of Agent 3 in some ways... not all of them good. Though, better hygiene for sure."

"Excuuuusseee me! I do NOT smell!" Neptune whipped around, who was about to head to Inkopolis and Moray towers. "And If I do, its because I've been stuck underground for the last few days!"

"Not you.." Marie shook her head. "The other agent 3- oh forget it. We both know Levin could get... well... sweaty after a few battles."

"Yeah, you'd better fix that, Marie. And I'll tell him you said that." Neptune hopped into the pipe that lead back to the city.

"Oh, just shut your face and get to work already.. both of you."

"Ahh haha.." Marina nervously laughed. "I.. uh.. should get back and make sure Pearl and the staff aren't worried." Marie nodded to her and Marina turned to follow Neptune through the pipe, but stopped and looked back when she reached the grate.

"Good luck, Agent 4. Please bring back my best friend's idol." Marina smiled and changed to her octopus form, falling through the grate as Kirin watched.

"Well when she puts it that way..." Kirin sighed and shouldered the roller that Sheldon had suggested to him. As Marie returned to her Laptop, he hopped inside the marked kettle, and was once again, sent into the domes below. After reaching the other end, he took a good look at the large circular room he was in. There were a number of large pipes lining the walls, and below the center platform, he could make out a number of factories through the glass that covered the floor. There were also various monitors that showed different sectors, including the damaged zeppelin production line.

"Something is wrong... There should be at least some guards here," Marie said, noticing the fact that the platform was empty, aside from a large quantity of purple ink.

"You don't say... Well I can see the Cephalon kettle on the other side, so here goes nothing." He slammed the roller down, and started running forwards through the ink to clear out any Octolings or divers that were hiding in the large pool. He got about half way across the room, before Marie transmitted again.

"Agent! Get back! NOW!" Doing as he was told, Kirin skidded to a hald, and pulled his roller back to avoid a large shadow that had appeared above him. A split second later, a loud crash rang through the walls of the control chamber, and sitting in a place he had been only a second before, was a massive Octarian regular that was larger than even Octavio.

"Hmpf... so this is the one that's been giving the infantry so much trouble..." it said in a loud voice. With narrowed eyes, the large almost humanoid looking Octarian sized him up with narrow eyes. "You lack caution and awareness. You'd do well to listen to your handler." It raised a roller of its own above its head that looked like a hybrid of a brush and roller.

"I-I don't believe this! It's a new great Octo-weapon! I thought they shut down these projects! Did Octurus lie about this too?" Marie pulled out some notes that Marina had made while hacking the communication system. "I-It's called the Octo Samurai, and I think you've just been challenged to a duel."

"Yeah, that's a bit obvious, Marie. I'm a bit more worried about that dynamo brush thing he's carrying."

"Enough stalling. Raise your weapon, and fight!" Kirin did as the samurai wanted, and raised his roller. The samurai responded in kind, and slammed his to the ground, which sent a large wave of ink directly at him. Kirin barely had enough time to run to the right of the wave, which passed by and sprinkled several drops on his uniform.

"Now that's just unfair." Kirin groaned, which earned a smirk from the samurai. He again slammed the large roller down to send another wave at Kirin, but he lowered his own roller and maneuvered around the wave. He managed to get close enough to be able to quickly raise the roller, and slam it down on the samurai's side, coating him in ink, but not enough to topple him.

"It's not going to be that easy, young squid." The samurai swung the roller sideways to swat him away, giving Kirin barely enough time to do an emergency mini squid jump over the horazontal wave. As he came down on the samurai's other exposed side. He raised the roller, and slammed it down, again coating the samurai in green ink, but still not enough to cover him.

"Oh, come on!" Kirin backed up to avoid another side swipe, but the samurai raised his roller over his head. Sensing what was coming, he ran forward, then turned around to avoid the vertical wave. Kirin then leapt into the air, raising his roller over his head to finish the Octarian with a vertical flick. However, as he sent the wave towards the samurai, it spun a full 360 degrees, and sent another large horazontal wave at Kirin. The Samurai was splatted from the final flick, and burst into a large pool of green, but Kirin had been caught by his last attack, and was sent flying backwards, landing on his back and screaming in pain.

"Agent 4! Get up! It's not over yet!" Marie yelled. He managed to lift his head, just in time to see a tentacle emerge from a small pool of ink that was inside the roller's large base. "That Octarian isn't the Octo-weapon! It's the roller! Hit that tentacle before it repairs itself."

"Easier said than done, Marie.." Barely able to move, he managed to pull out a splat bomb, and toss it at the tentacle. Surprisingly, the throw was on target, and the bomb burst, causing the tentacle to retreat back into the weapon. Thinking he had destroyed it, he pulled out the squee-g that Marie had given him, and let it go to work in removing the ink off of his body that was causing his paralysis. However, they could see the figure of what looked like an Octoling's alternate form be pulled into the hole, as if a tether beam was guiding it. Soon, the samurai started to reform in front of their very eyes.

"W-what the.. non Octolings shouldn't be able to do that!" Marie said, stunned that the operator had essentially respawned.

"I... don't think that matters.. Marie." Kirin coughed. He still couldn't move, as the squee-g had only removed about half the ink by the time the samurai had reformed. "I.. Might have screwed up..." He stared at the samurai, who just stared right back with his weapon back in his hand. "I am so screwed..." He panted, waiting for the samurai to finish him off with another wave of ink. But it just stood there with his weapon in hand, staring right back.

"Agent 4! On your feet! The squee-g is done!" Marie commanded. He looked down, and saw that the squee-g had indeed shut down. He slowly got on his feet, and the samurai grinned.

"Good. The fight resumes." The samurai then leapt directly at him with surprising agility. Kirin lowered the roller to the ground, and took a risk in running under the Octarian's shadow, narrowly avoiding being crushed. He then struck the creature in the back with a vertical flick, and not wanting to repeat past mistakes, he quickly put distance between them to avoid a retaliatory strike. He turned again to face the Octarian, but he was holding his weapon under him in a bizarre fashion. He didn't understand what it was up to, until he finally noticed that it had morphed into a motorcycle like vehicle, and the samurai then charged directly at him.

"Oh shi- What the hell kinda roller is this!" He scurried to avoid getting crushed, and barely managed to avoid getting swatted by the creatures large tentacle arm as it passed by. Once on the other side, the samurai quickly turned around and revved up the engine for another pass at Kirin. A split second later, he charged again, but this time Kirin was ready. When he was close enough, he hurled a burst bomb at the Samurai's face.

"Gyaaa! What mockery is this!" It boomed and thrashed wildly. Kirin came up directly behind it and landed a killing blow on its back. The samurai burst into ink once again, and the tentacle emerged from the roller. This time, Kirin hit it with the full force of his roller, causing the tentacle to erupt into purple ink as the octopus figure was pulled back into the weapon. Before it was able to fully reform however, the samurai was violently ejected. It coughed and wheezed several times, as Kirin pointed the tip of the roller at it's head. "Well... met... Inkling.. You... are the victor... now finish it."

"hhmmm... nah." Kirin lowered the roller, making the disarmed and battered samurai blink at him.

"Finish the fight... There.. is nothing to be gained..."

"Don't feel like it." He leaned on the handle of the roller. "You spared my life, now I'm sparing yours. Besides, all I've heard about you regulars is how boring and weak you are. But you... you're... fun." he grinned a little. The samurai could only blink more at his statement.

"You're sparing your enemy...? For that?"

"You got ink in your ears?" Kirin rolled his eyes and turned away. "You might want to find a new team to play on, though. Octavio's side has kinda sucked so far." He moved around the Octarian and started heading for the kettle.

"I suppose there is some honor left in Inklings.." he muttered as he watched Kirin approach the kettle.

"Agent 4... I don't believe what I just saw," Marie finally chimed in.

"Forget about it, Marie. It's time to- ack!" he winced when a familiar static cut in on their communicators again.

"Leave... now... Run.. don't return here again!" The voice sounded like it was having trouble coming through, as if being spoken at a distance.

"Are... you holding.. the communicator upside down?" Marie asked after a brief pause.

"I'm totally not!" it said, coming in much clearer.

"Yes you were! Wait... Callie..?"

"Nope! I'm not Callie! Not her. So go away. I'm not gonna call again!" The communication was cut as abruptly as it started.

"I knew it.. I knew she was down here..." Marie sighed with a pained voice. "Listen. Sheldon is on his way, and I'll be going with you this time. Stay there and DO NOT go into the Cephalon assembly hall!"

"I'll think about it."

"Agent 4, I mean-" he shut off the device, and hopped into the kettle.

...

"Nothing ever really happens on the subway. At least nothing beyond your usual bum fights or idiots trying to sell drugs or something, back where I came from." Matt was explaining to Tricia, as the trans capital subway continued its test run down the long tunnel. "And its really nothing the police can't handle. I don't see why they had to pack the train with military units."

"You tell me. I'm new, remember? Maybe its just a big multi racial day care?" She joked.

"Probably not far off.. Leave it to us to have to make sure the reds and colored heads don't start trying to kill each other again," Matt scoffed.

"And I thought the late Commander Bridget Mclarrin was the asshole." Takeshi said, rolling his eyes at Matt.

"I didn't ask to have to baby sit inferior beings." Matt glared back at him.

"Whoa, dude! How can you say that after the squid sisters perf-"

"That's different!" He yelled, causing half the train to stare at the two.

"No, its not. And I know you have the hots for Marie, and just pissed off that she-"

"Takeshi, shut it. And go sit somewhere else!" Matt ordered. Sighing, Takeshi went to the back of the train and sat with a few inkling and Octoling guys. Tricia just stared at the two, rather dumbfounded at the Sargent's outburst. Several minutes passed, until she noticed someone standing in front of her. She looked up to see a young Octoling rookie looking at her.

"H-hello," he said bashfully, and it looked like it was taking all of his mental capacity to not look at the floor.

"Well hey there." She tried to smile a little as not to hurt him, since it was obvious to her what he was there for.

"I... uhh..." He looked over to Takeshi, who nodded at him. "I.. uhh.. think you're really pretty, elder ra- err, human."

"D'aww, that's sweet of you." She brushed her red hair, which made him blush more.

"And, I.. uh.." he looked back at Takeshi, who gave him a thumbs up. "Ithinkyou'rethemostbeutifulgirlIeversawIloveyoupleasegooutwithme!" He panted after blurting out his lightning fast confession before going into a bow, waiting for her answer. She had to admit that she thought he was cute, with his shy antics, his tight black uniform, and his mohawk like tentacles that were starting to catch on with his kind. Even his purple eye rings, which showed he hadn't been to the surface much.

"Sorry." She said, which made him look up. "That's really sweet, and you are pretty cute. But.. I'm not really looking to date right now, and I'm not ready for the inter-species thing. Especially if what I heard about the captain was true."

"O-oh..." his round ears lowered. "I-I'm sorry..." Looking like he was about to cry, he turned and went back to where Takeshi was, who seemed to console him. Matt shook his head at the whole ordeal.

"Wise choice, private," he grunted. She wanted to respond, but Brandon entered their car from the other side.

"Alright, what's this I hear about a fight," he barked, and everyone turned to him. Tricia didn't hesitate to rat the two out, and pointed to Matt and Takeshi. "I should have known." He sighed heavily and started heading towards them. "You know, just because the captain isn't here, doesn't mean you two can-" Brandon was cut off, as the train shook violently after a loud explosion. The emergency brakes were thrown on, and half the passengers were sent to the floor, including Tricia.

"W-what happened?" She said, and looked up just in time to see an Octoshot fly out of the hands of the boy who was talking to her earlier. It went right for Brandon's head, and before he could react, the handle struck him in the forehead, right under the exposed part of his helmet. He went limp, and collapsed to the floor.


	6. 1.6 - The Nightmare part 4

The Cephalon sector was not pleasing to the eye. The area appeared to be a dumping ground of sorts, as most of the water was a sickening dark purple. If it wasn't already dangerously polluted by the humans before the disaster, what ever the Octarians were pumping here from the other domes insured that nothing would last long in it, regardless of swimming capabilities. There were a number of steel structures that formed bridges over the toxic purple lake. In the center of these structures was a large circular elevator, which Kirin assumed lead to the old assembly hall that Marina had spoken of.

"Marie, are you seeing this dump?" Kirin asked after he turned the headset receiver back on. As he waited for a response, he exchanged the type-H roller for a chrome covered heavy splatling from the mobile weapons crate the Sheldon had follow him.

"Yes... I am. I don't think I have to say this, but I strongly suggest not falling into that," she responded a few seconds later.

"You don't say.." Kirin started to cross the metal bridges, and headed to the center. "So what's the deal with that armored guy? I know you know who I'm talking about. That's.. an elder race, isn't it?" Marie paused a few moments, before letting out a heavy sigh in response.

"You're right, 4. He is a human. And If I'm right..." Another long pause. "Drake Von Kaufmann. He.. Like Otome, he is one of Callie's best friends... and mine as well," she finished. Kirin paused on hearing another name he had recognized.

"How can you be sure it's him?"

"Because he's the only one who would follow Callie and Otome down here, by himself and likely against what ever the Eden Colonial State's wishes are. Trust me, it's him." Marie leaned back in her chair, holding back tears. Kirin on the other hand, was listening with interest. Apart from the original Agents 3 and 4, and the deceased 5, all the major players from 2 years ago were now on the stage. He reached the center platform a few moments later, and gave the large circular elevator a look over.

"Guess this is the entrance to the assembly hall."

"I can see that, now hold up. I already told you to stay put, and- Yes, Sheldon, we're taking that too. Don't ask why, just load it up!" She said to the horseshoe crab, before returning her attention to the screen. "You did your job, so wait for me to get there." She cut the transmission, not waiting for an answer, as she took the laptop to the large truck that Sheldon had brought to the canyon. It wasn't until she sat down in the passenger seat and opened the laptop back up, did she notice that Kirin had already boarded the elevator. "Agent 4... what the hell are you doing? I told you to wait for me!" She growled in frustration, and signaled for Sheldon to get the truck moving.

"Getting this done. I'm tired of the game," he growled back, and the elevator finished its descent. The old assembly hall looked like one big gravitational anomaly. The large circular stage was flanked by a number of bleachers and stands, all hovering by themselves over the purple death lake. Many Octarians occupied the stands, and had their eyes fixed on Kirin. In the center of the stage, was a large half dome like structure, with its hollow side facing Kirin. And in the center of that half dome, was a black and magenta tentacled Inkling.

"T-that's Callie! We found her! Step on the gas, Sheldon!" Marie jumped out of her seat, only to be knocked back into it by the seat belt.

"Yeah, but... what is she wearing..?" Kirin looked at the girl, who had her back turned to him. Before, when they had seen her on the carrier zeppelin, she was wearing a pink outfit, and was giving off an aura of sadness in her singing. Now she had on what looked like a bastardized and skimpy version of her stage clothes, and her aura was now menacing and dark. Kirin slowly approached her, until she seemed to finally notice him, and raised an arm.

"I thought I told you to stay away." She turned around to face him. The outfit looked just as tacky from the front as it did from the back, and they both noticed the Octopus tattoo on her hip. Worst of all, was the pair of overly large shades that lit up as soon as she started talking. "You leave me no choice, but to rock you!" She raised both her arms up, and the stage rose up, revealing itself as a large robotic craft. From the main chamber, the pilot revealed itself to be the large octopus form of the escaped D.J. Octavio.

"I knew it! I knew it was him! And he rebuilt that damn Octobot, too," Marie hissed.

"Gyahaya, yo! Check it! I Remixed Callie's brain!" He started working the controls, just as he did 2 years ago, and a sickening version of a familiar song started playing. Marie's jaw dropped, and Sheldon had to force himself to not take his eyes of the path as he drove.

"Th-that.. Slob, piece of trash!" She roared.

"Let's get this started with Bomb Rush Blush!" Callie yelled, and started to dance along with the music, using her hands to direct the barrage of splat bombs that Octavio just fired at Kirin. He quickly swam back to avoid the ink explosions from the surprise attack. The monitors all around the assembly hall all switched on to broadcast the battle and Callie's dances. The crowd in the floating stands all began to cheer and hop around in their seats.

"Dammit, this is why I told you to wait form me!" Marie slammed her fist down on the arm rest out of frustration that he had disobeyed again, as well as the fact that she was forced to watch her younger cousin fight along side their sworn enemy of both the great turf war and the insurrection from 2 years ago. "Look, just try to hold on. Sheldon and I are almost there."

"Well, make it quick!" Kirin grunted, and rushed past a cluster of semi sentient tentacles that had been deployed by the octobot, all trying to grab him as he passed. "Time to do what should have been done years ago!" He ran as close as he could to the floating weapons platform, and eagerly unloaded half of his ink tank onto the craft. However, all of his shots simply bounced off and dissolved, thanks to the cockpit shield that Octavio hadn't forgotten to carry over from the previous version of the ship. Octavio just laughed at his efforts.

"Two battles in two years, and you hipsters still rely on dumb luck." The front of his craft shook, and one of the two giant fists that occupied the left and right sides of the Octobot came flying at him.

"Fist! SHOOT! NOW!" Marie commanded. The fleeing Kirin spun around and raised his type-H splatling, and unloaded about half a charge into the fist, coating it in green. As he watched the fist get redirected and fly back towards the Octobot, he found himself glad that he had brought the high yield, rapid firing weapon over the other type-H models, even if his mobility was reduced. But his boost of confidence was shattered in place of the shield, which protected the cockpit from the impact at the cost of having a drop in power and getting knocked back, causing Callie to stumble.

"Hey! Get it together D.J.! Spicy beets, now!" She pointed at Kirin, and Octavio scoffed.

"Guess you did learn something after all. But can yah dodge this, ink stain?" He saw the fist on the other side prepare to launch, but this time it began to spin rapidly, before flying out at him.

"You can't shoot that back. Dodge!" Sheldon shouted at the communicator, a bit too late since the pellets Kirin fired were sent flying in random directions. Octavio sat back and laughed. He fired the other spinning fist while pulling the first back, causing the green agent to have to weave in and out of the ink he had laid down before hand, watching it get covered little by little from the fists slamming into the ground. As Kirin was occupied, Callie raised her hand to point again, and Octavio hit another switch to cause a shower of ink to spray down from the bottom of the craft.

"Ink Shower! Get out of its path!" The craft lunged forward, and he was forced back into his ink, and weaved to the right to avoid the shower. As soon as he came out, he charged up the splatling to regain some of the ground he lost, since the rain had covered over half of his territory.

"One-two punch!" Callie pointed at him. As Octavio prepared the fists, his eyes went wide when a red light lit up. The right fist fired and spun, which Kirin dodged, but the left fist had jammed. The fist sputtered for a moment, before shooting out without the spin. Seeing his chance, Kirin revved up the splatling and charged forward.

"Got you now!" He unloaded a full charge on the fist, and grinned as it was once again sent back, causing the shield to turn red at critical levels. "Now who's the ink st- ack!" Kirin was suddenly thrown to the ground after feeling an impact at his back.

"What..? You?" Marie shouted.

"Gyahah. Yah took your time, bone boy and race traitor. Now get to work if yah don't want me to fry her brain for good!" He could here Octavio yell. He was flipped on his back, and saw two figures he recognized standing over him. One was the Octoling, Otome, wearing her outdated armor and goggles. The other was the armored gas mask wearing figure from the carrier zeppelin, which Marie claimed was the human known as Drake.

"We told you to stay out of this... if you hadn't interfered, we wouldn't have to do this," Otome said with a low tone.

"What are yah waiting for, ink stain? Splat him, or I'll really turn up the heat on the magenta one," Octavio boomed from the cockpit.

"We're not deaf!" Drake shot back, making Kirin's eyes widen a little.

"Wait... the humans really can speak oceanic.. he... wasn't lying?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but its just a machine doing that," The armored figure responded. "I'd show you.. but.. you forced our hand." They slowly raised their weapons at his head.

"Y-yeah.. no one is coming to save you now..." Otome's voice stuttered.

"It's not like anyone can come down here NOW. Or NOW would be a very last minute save, wouldn't it?" Drake said, as he fumbled with the trigger. At that moment, they could hear a loud roaring sound, that Drake assumed to be an engine, and everyone turned towards the source. "Took your damn time, Ma..rie..?" Behind the gas mask, his expression was about as stunned as when he saw his red partner for the first time.

"T-the hell is that?" Otome pointed. "Is that... a flying... truck..?"

"Looks like it.. so that's what Sheldon was working on at the motor pool last year... how the hell did he make a truck fly?" Drake and Otome both lowered their weapons, and Kirin slowly slid into his ink.

"Agent 4, I'm here!" Marie called out, and climbed from the passenger side of the cab, and onto the roof. The older squid cousin was now wearing her stage outfit. Once on the roof, she pulled out her outdated Type-H charger. It lacked the save charge function of Kirin's model, but had been modded for extra range that she intended to make full use of.

"Great, now hipster number 2 is here. Screw it, I'll fry ya'll myself." Octavio fired another fist where Kirin was. Drake and Otome dove out of the way, and Kirin, who had already changed to squid form, swam backwards in the trail he managed to make while the two were distracted by the flying truck Marie had rode in with. The fist slammed into the ground where he had just been a second ago, and the other fist was starting to spin for a shot at the spot Kirin had retreated to.

"I don't think so, king slob." Marie fired a fully charge shot at the spinning fist. It hit dead center, and several sparks shot out, causing an electrical short. The fist stopped spinning, and Octavio slammed one of his large tentacles on the panel to clear the jam. When it finally cooperated with him, it shot out as a normal fist.

"Oh shi- You little!" Octavio was practically steaming at seeing the fist slowly fly towards Kirin, who was already back in his normal form, splatling at the ready. When the fist was in range, he unloaded a charge of pellets, and easily sent it flying back, causing it to hit the shield again. The Octobot was knocked back, as the shield was now flashing red at breaking point. Callie was waving her arms wildly, trying not to fall off the top.

"Callie! It's me! Your cousin!" Marie called out to her over the trucks bullhorn.

"W-what the heck, D.J.? Get it together!" She yelped, and swept her hand across her field of vision, signalling the former Octarian general to fire a volley of suction bombs across the field, making Kirin run across the center stage as Drake and Otome took cover.

"Callie... don't you recognize me? Snap out of it already!" Marie pleaded. Callie just ignored her, and continued her command dance that was being blown up on the large screens for the rest of the crowd to view. "Callie..." Marie bit her lip, and tightened her grip on the charger. "Sheldon, get me closer."

"You got it! Hang on up there!" He called, as Marie slipped something into the charger's firing chamber that was similar to a Guardian Corps tampering capsule.

"I didn't want to have to do this.. but I'm getting my cousin back." She raised the charger and took aim, the laser moving towards Callie's head.

...

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant, wake up!" Brandon could hear a voice shouting at him, and he slowly regained his consciousness. His vision was still a little blurry when he opened his eyes, and he could see Takeshi standing over him. "Guys, he's awake.!"

"Uhhhh.. what happened," Brandon groaned.

"Dude, we thought you were dead." He reached his hand out, and Brandon took it. Takeshi slowly pulled him into a sitting position.

"We're still picking up the pieces, but it looks like the tunnel collapsed. Crushed the engine car, and killed the driver instantly," Reggie said, who was rubbing his bruised ankle. "And.. uh.. Brandon?" He looked at him with a very serious expression, which quickly unnerved the young Lieutenant. "Justin didn't make it."

"W-what!?" Brandon quickly looked behind him, and sure enough, the team medic was lying motionless on the floor. A steel bar was sticking out of his neck, and a pool of blood had formed under him. The bar had broken from a part of the roof that had caved in, due to being smashed with a large chunk of debris from the tunnel collapse. "Oh.. son of a Bitch!" Brandon put a hand to his already throbbing head.

"Tell me about it," Reggie sighed. This would be a severe blow to the team. While they had gained a fair amount of medical personell from the Technodyne facility two years ago, Justin was still the only one with combat experience, from not only the raider wars of 2018 A.D. but also the battle of 2019 O.S.C. Not to mention a friend to all members of 1st squad.

"It's not right.." Matt grumbled while looking out the window.

"I know, Matt.." Brandon got to his feet with Reggie's help, and moved over to one of the benches, then activated his radio. "This is... Lieutenant Finn. All squad leaders sound off." Several seconds went by, and replies started coming in by the other team leaders.

"Second squad, all here," said seconds team leader.

"Third squad reporting. Decker is down, and Garrison is badly wounded. We need evac, sir!"

"Fourth squad, half the team is injured, but no casualties. Where is the damn medic?"

"Fifth squad, We lost Vasquez, but every one else is standing."

"Take defensive positions while I report and get our orders. Out." Brandon ended the radio call when he confirmed the status with the force. Three men were dead and a dozen or so were injured.

"By the way, I already called the station we left from. They're sending the maintenance trolley," Reggie said.

"That's good, let's-" He paused, and that's when Brandon noticed that something was missing. "Wait.. where are the twins?" As if waiting for the question, Kenny came running in through the back door of the car they were in.

"My sister! Where is my sister!" He came to a halt in front of Brandon with a panicked look on his face.

"Easy, kid. She's right over... there...?" Matt turned to where the other rookie had been a few minutes ago, but both her and all of her equipment had vanished. "She... was right there."

"Alright, how did none of you not notice Tricia leaving the car?" Brandon demanded to know. They all looked away, until Reggie called from the part of the car that had been torn up by the debris.

"Uhh, Lieutenant? You'd better look at this." Reggie said, and pointed to a large hole in the side of the car. It was big enough to fit through, and a piece of blue cloth had been caught on one of the edges that looked like part of an Edef uniform. "It.. might be possible she went through here... or was taken."

"W-what? Who took my sister?" Kenny demanded, and with out waiting for an answer, went through the whole that only he, Tricia, or one of the Oceanics would be able to fit through with out getting cut.

"Private, get back here!" Brandon yelled, but got no response as Kenny headed towards the backside of the train. He quickly turned, and with Reggie and Takeshi, started running through the train. As they passed through the cars, they saw the Oceanic forces in disarray. Some of them were throwing accusations of sabotage at each other, while others were trying to take defensive positions, trying to figure out if they were under attack or not. When they got to the front car, they noticed that Kelly had gathered a squad of Octolings and several Inklings at the rear door, and they quickly went to her.

"Oh, thank goodness. You're okay. I heard you took a bad hit," The elite Octoling captain said when she noticed them.

"A-ah, yeah. I'm fine now though," he nodded. "But no time for that. Two of my men are in the tunnel, and I need to get them back, now!"

"Well, you're timing is perfect. I was about to take a squad out to scout the tunnels. One of the regulars reported seeing something in the shadows, and we can search for your boys at the same time. You with us, Bran- er Lieutenant Finn?"

"Brandon is fine. And sure. I don't know what your men think they saw, but safety in numbers," Brandon responded, and Kelly smiled a little.

"Alright, then move it out, you lot!" Kelly shouted to the Octolings and Inklings after opening the back door. They all piled out, with Brandon's team following in the rear.

"And now to figure out what the hell is going on with the Becker siblings."

...

Time seemed to stand still in the underground assembly hall. The squid boy, human male and Octoling girl stood frozen, as they watched a green stream of ink exit the barrel of Marie's charger. Even D.J. Octavio was shocked to see the older cousin fire the stream that was now headed towards Callie's head at breakneck speed. A mere second later, the shot hit Callie's face, who let out a shriek of surprise and pain.

"D-did.. Marie.. just.." The first one to come out of the trance was the human. The shot should have killed or at least incapacitated her, but he watched as Callie was simply knocked back some, hitting her head on the back of the Octobot's half dome.

"No- look!" Otome pointed, and everyone followed her gaze to see that the Large shades had been sent flying. They bounced several times, then slid off the back of the center stage, falling into the corrupted purple water below.

"Callie! Stop this! You are not Octarian!" Marie shouted over the loud speaker. However, Callie was not responding. She merely groaned, and stood in place.

"Gyaaah! Damn you, Agent 2! Too bad for you, it won't be that easy." Octavio turned up a dial on his control console, causing the hypnotic music to go full blast in an attempt to prevent her from regaining her senses. Callie once again resumed the corrupt dance, but her movements were sluggish and was no longer sending out hand signals. Marie signaled Sheldon to switch the truck's loud speaker output to the music player that she prepared before hand. A new version of her own single, Tide Goes Out, was being played as loudly as the corrupted bomb rush blush that Octavio was playing from the craft.

"Tch! Annoying fly! Boneboy, shoot that truck down, or you know what happens!" Octavio commanded, while adjusting to the fact that he was having to compensate for the fact that Callie was no longer giving him logistical support and had to assume full control of the robot again.

"As if you would let us forget," Drake grumbled. He turned away from the Octobot and raised the Marksman M14k, and pointed at it Marie. He breathed in deep, and squeezed the trigger. A bullet went straight towards the green and white squid standing on top of the flying truck. The round shot right over her left shoulder, a place she had already been shot once in the past.

"Ugh.. I do not have time for this." Marie brought her charger to bare again, and lined up the laser with the human she called friend. Before he could get off another shot, she let the stream fly, and hit him in the left arm. Drake yelped from impact, and could feel his arm go numb. He accidentally discharged another shot, which struck the door where Sheldon was sitting, almost causing him to lose control. Seeing the human stunned, Kirin raised and charged up his splatling.

"Guess that's my cue." He quickly started approaching the human, intending to knock him out of the fight for good.

"I would guess again, boy." A voice snarled as a burst of purple crossed his path, causing him to skid to a halt. Kirin cursed himself for forgetting about the Octoling, who now had her weapon pointed at him again. "You've done enough damage as it is. I don't know whow you are or why Marie got you involved, but I won't have you endangering people I care about more than you already have!" Otome gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger, this time aiming at him. Kirin was barely able to avoid the next wave of ink pellets by changing into his squid form.

"Coming through, fossil lover!" Rather than swim back, Kirin swam between her legs in the small trail that hadn't been covered by Octavio's previous attack. An action that angered the Octoling, as she had to jump away, or risk the agent reverting in a place that would be very disadvantageous for her. Once he was clear, he reformed to bipedal, and ran between a volley of suction bombs that Octavio launched wildly around the stage, which cut Otome off from chasing him.

"Alright, that's it. Ya'll ready to for a pounding?" Octavio locked on to Kirin with the fist, and it started to spin in the launcher.

On the other side of the stage platform, Drake had rolled to the side to avoid a second shot from Marie, who was showing signs of desperation, since her cousin was still partially under Octavio's control. He didn't want to shoot at her, but as long as Octavio was holding Callie, he had no choice. He started to line up another shot, but he noticed that a fist was getting ready to fire out of the corner of his eye. "I hope the kid is as good as you trust him to be." Drake lowered his weapon, and used it to point at the fist, trying to send a signal to Marie.

"I see. So that's how it is." Most people would have ignored the signal, and took the shot, putting down the traitor and enemy that was standing between family members. But in the two years she had known him, she had formed a trusting bond with the human that was once thought to be long dead. She simply nodded, and with out hesitating, fired a charged stream at the spinning fist, just as it was being launched. The spinning mechanism jammed, and the fist was deployed in its normal state.

"Oh, come on! Y'all freaking getting lucky- shit!" Octavio didn't have time to react, as the already waiting Kirin had unloaded on the fist. He sent it back to its owner, just as Otome tackled him from behind. He looked up from under the female that was holding him down, and saw the fist slam into the cock pit. The shield finally collapsed from the strain, and caused the Octobot to shut down entirely, including the warped music that was keeping Callie under his mental conditioning. She stopped her frenzied movements, and stood there looking confused.

"H-huh... what... where..." She slowly put a hand on her head, as now all eyes were on her.

"Callie... it's your cousin! Remember!" Marie shouted.

"I... I.." she looked around after regaining her balance. "M-Marie..? Drake... Otome..? Why... am I.. what's going on?" She looked down at the outfit she was wearing, and her eyes went wide. "O-oh no... I remember now... it.. it wasn't a nightmare."

"That doesn't matter anymore. Callie.. come to me." Marie smiled at her cousin. Callie let out the first smile she had in a while, and nodded.

"I will!" She changed forms into a squid, and started to build pressure.

"Gyaa? You get your squid butt back here, you little-" Octavio reached out a large tentacle to grab her, but she managed to squid jump away, landing on the top of the truck next to Marie.

"Glad you're back, Cal." Marie wasted no time in pulling her into a hug, once Callie had reformed. She then handed her a bundle, which contained Callie's half of their stage outfits.

"Thank you, Marie. Me too." Callie hugged her cousin back, and would have continued doing so for quite some time, if not for the situation she was in. She took the bundle, and turned away from the battle taking place. Marie yelled at Sheldon to switch to the last track that was on the music player, and another new version of their songs started to play. This time it was Calamari incantation, the same song that had distracted Octavio two years prior, and lead to his defeat at the hands of Levin and Shara.

"Curse you, squid sisters! I was so damn close, yo!" Octavio hit the restart switch on the control panel, and the Octobot started regaining power. Seeing this, the human locked eyes with his Octoling companion, who was still restraining Kirin. The two nodded at each other, and Drake turned to raise his rifle, pointing it at the large male Octopus, while Otome climbed off of Kirin.

"Was wondering when you were gonna get off me, big red. Not that I mind a little roughhousing."

"Trust me, you are going to pay for that comment later," Otome barked back. "But now we got work to do." She turned her attention to Octavio. "This is for what you did to my best friend!" She growled, and charged towards the Octobot, unloading her ink with her octoshot while Drake started putting rounds into the cockpit. Unfortunately, the restart had managed to bring the shield back up, and both the bullets and ink pellets simply bounced off.

"Gyayah. Later suckers! I'mma be back, and ya'll gonna wish you let me win here!" The octobot started to raise into the air.

"Ah, hell. He's getting away!" Drake complained, as he swapped out a magazine for the one he had just emptied.

"Not on my watch! Not after what he put us through!" Otome took an orb like object out of one of her pockets, and tossed it at the Octobot. It hit the craft's front side, latching on. "Agent! Shoot that orb!"

"What ever you say, big red." Kirin quickly charged up the splatling before the craft could go out of range. As soon as the charge was full, he unloaded at the front of the craft, but due to the size of the target, most of the shots missed.

"He's still getting away! If you're gonna do something, do it now!" Drake yelled, still firing shots at Octavio.

"I would have thought you lot would have learned to not rush people by now," Kirin yelled back, and used the last of his charge to strike the orb. It came to life, and revealed itself to be an ink rail. The now green rail extended, and moved downward to where Kirin and Otome were standing.

"There's your ride up. If you wanna kick his ass, now's your chance. Just give him some payback for us," Otome said, giving him a stern look after raising her goggles. Kirin stepped towards the line, but before he could get on, he saw the mobile weapons crate fly overhead. He instantly gained some respect for Sheldon's ability to fly both it and the truck at the same time.

"Wait, you're gonna need more firepower than that!" The crab said over the communicator. The crate popped over to reveal a large fish shaped weapon. One that was larger than any other field weapon carried by inklings. Kirin fished it out of the container and approached the rail.

"Been wanting to try out a rainmaker." He turned towards the Octoling, who was now standing with the human. "It won't be for you, but you can be sure I'll kick his ass. Trust me, he's at the top of the list." With out waiting for a response, he hopped on the rail, and was propelled towards the octobot that was circling above, using the rainmaker as a balance.

"Well, there he goes. Think he can pull it off?" Drake asked.

"I'd hope so, after all the trouble he gave us," Otome sighed in response. "I guess all we can do now is-"

"Hey! Hey! Over here!" The duo turned around to see Callie waving at them, who had somehow managed to change her outfit when no one was looking, including what was left of the Octarian audience.

"Get on, and we'll give you a lift," Marie called over the loudspeaker, while Sheldon lowered the truck to be level with the edge of the stage platform. The two glanced at each other and nodded. They took off running to where the truck was hovering, and took a flying leap over the pitfall of polluted water, landing on the roof of the truck where the squid sisters were. Sheldon quickly put the truck in gear, and rose it up, being careful not to knock the others off the roof. Drake opened his mouth to say something to Marie, but was blindsided by Callie, who pulled him into a tight hug.

"Drake... Thank you." She leaned against the human, which almost caused him to lose his balance, and he put his arms around her in return. "Thank you for not abandoning me.. And you too, Otome." She glanced up at the Octoling, who for the first time since the whole ordeal started, smiled.

"Of course, Callie."

"I think I get the gist of what happened, but I expect the full version of the story when we get back. Though I thank you two as well." Marie bowed to them.

"We kind of expected that. Now, shall we go make sure the new guy doesn't screw up?" Drake asked, and the group all nodded in agreement.

"You heard him, sheldon. Step on the gas, and get after Octavio!" Marie commanded.

"You got it, Marie! Hang on to your lunch!" Sheldon sped the flying truck off, to catch up with the green agent, who was tailing the circling Octobot on the inkrail, rainmaker at the ready. As they caught up, Callie and Marie restarted their updated version of Calamari Inkantation, and danced a long with it, partially to distract Octavio, and partially to help keep Callie from relapsing into being influenced by any effects of the hypno-shades still in her system. While the makeshift performance had just started, Agent 4 and Octavio both exchanged the first blows of his last stand.

**Authors Notes:** **Surprised no one caught the fact that a piece of Marie's Dialogue had been hijacked by Neptune in the last chapter. Anyway, this one was a real pain to write, so sorry if it sucks. Also, with the way things are going, either the next chapter or the one after may be delayed for a month or so. Which is annoying, since arc 1 is nearing completion. Either way, Story's delayed.**


	7. 1.7 - The Ugly Truth

**Author's Note: Somehow managed to get this chapter and a good chunk of the next one done before the swamping starts. If my luck still holds, I might just be able to finish arc 1.**

Kirin was circling around the Octobot on the inkrail that was being dragged behind Octavio's craft in a spiral pattern. He tried taking aim at the cockpit directly, but the rebooted shield was strong enough to deflect the large ink mortars the rainmaker fired. Octavio locked on to the boy, as they both continued to strafe in a circle. The truck continued to follow behind, while the squid sisters continued their spur of the moment performance to counteract the hypnotic effects from the music the octobot's controller device was emitting.

"I'm getting sick of yah, kid. I'mma be ending this now," Octavio started the firing sequence for the fist, but the spinner jammed again, and it shot out as normal.

"Well, sucks to be you then, huh?" Already having the rainmaker charged, Kirin fired an ink mortar at the fist, which shot it back to its owner at speeds that outmatched when any hand weapon deflected the fist. Even while strafing, Octavio had no chance of avoiding the returned fist strike. It slammed into the shield, and it quickly sent out warnings from the strain.

"Gyaa! Confounded spinners! Who built this piece of crap!" He slammed a tentacle down on the control console, and by complete luck, managed to get the spinner to reboot and work properly, causing both fists to spin in the launchers. "Haa! That's more like it. Let's see yah dodge this!" He fired both fists at Kirin.

"Agent 4, the rainmaker won't work on spinning fists either!" Sheldon shouted over the communicator, a little too late. The ink mortar Kirin had fired was deflected like any other direct attack, and was sent flying a little too close to the airborne truck. Kirin barely had time to jump over the first fist, then hop from the middle rail to the back one to avoid the second.

"He's gonna get knocked off at this rate. We can't let the bastard Octavio win," Otome observed from the truck, as Kirin jumped back to the center rail to avoid another strike.

"Yeah, and I think that's our cue." Drake raised his rifle. "Sheldon, get us an angle on that launcher."

"You got it, buddy!" The crab raised the truck's altitude and moved closer, giving the human a better shot. Drake took aim and squeezed the trigger, sending out several shots, until one hit its mark, causing one of the launchers to stop spinning.

"That's strike two." Kirin grinned as he sent the fist back a second time, causing the energy shield to buckle and collapse completely. Octavio's eyes went wide when he realized the cockpit was now completely exposed. Drake fired another burst of gunfire at the other launcher to keep him from being able to send any more spinning fists out. With both his main weapons down, Octavio put all power to the engines to avoid the ink mortars that Kirin was sending at the cockpit. The two were now locked in a stalemate, as the octobot was moving too fast for the ink mortars, yet Octavio couldn't return fire.

"This is getting stupid. Just how rigid is that old man?" Drake complained as he tried and failed to put a bullet in Octavio's head.

"You don't want to know..." Otome shook her head. "But we gotta do something. Any ideas, Drake?" She looked at her human companion with a hopeful expression.

"Well... it's dangerous and stupid.. but how about we get close and personal?"

"That.. is dangerous and stupid.. but I like it," She grinned. "Sheldon, get us in close!" She yelled at the truck cab.

"Geez, everyone is barking orders at me!" The crab complained, but complied, and the truck passed over the top of the strafing octobot. When it was close enough, the two both jumped off the truck and landed on each side of the massive Octoling.

"And now I'm gonna do what we should have done years ago!" They both raised their weapons in sync.

"Yah don't scare me. There's still plenty of fight in this Octopus!" Octavio boomed. Drake was the first to fire, sending a bullet at his head, but Octavio had managed to already raise a tentacle to shield himself, and managed to stop the bullet by letting it get lodged inside. He used his second tentacle to knock the rifle out of Drake's hands, sending it into the polluted water below the assembly hall stage. Otome fired next, but his third tentacle flicked away the ink, while the fourth grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. He threw her off the stage, and she just managed to change into her Octopus form to lessen the damage from falling at that height.

"Otome!" Drake quickly pulled out his hunting knife, and charged him down. Octavio sent out his fifth tentacle to grab him as well, but he plunged his knife in it, causing it to retract with Octavio howling in pain.

"Yer gonna pay for that, bonehead!" Drake tried to take another swing, but Octavio used his sixth and seventh tentacles to grab his arms, and his eighth to lift him up. "Enjoy the ride, fossil. I know you ain't gonna survive this, no matter if you hit the stage or the water."

"D-Drake!" Callie and Marie stopped their performance after Callie shrieked from seeing what Octavio was about to do.

"Heh. Maybe you should pay more attention to you're driving." Drake smirked at the large Octopus.

"What are you- oh.. fu..." Octavio had no time to react, and he turned just in time to see a fresh ink mortar come flying at him. Kirin's shot hit the cockpit dead center, frying every piece of electronics inside. "Not aggaaiiiiinn" Octavio screamed and the Octobot went careening back down to the stage below, taking part of the inkrail with it."

"Whoa! You got it, buddy!" Sheldon leaned his head to the window to get a better look at the fallen craft. "There's a switch on the side of the rainmaker that will overload it. Once the others are clear, use it to finish that robot off." Kirin flipped the switch on the rainmaker, and looked down as he continued to circle on the outer rail.

"Uhhhh... what the..?" Holding her head, Otome looked over just in time to see the craft slam into the ground, with the Octopus and human still inside. "D-drake!" Otome ran over and jumped into the cockpit. Inside, Octavio was trying to strangle the human, who was trying to free his knife hand.

"Oh no. nonono!" Callie, who had been watching from above, turned into her squid form, and built up pressure.

"Callie, wait!" Marie called out, but she squid jumped to the fallen octobot, landing near her friends in humanoid form. "Sheldon get us down th-" Marie froze when she saw Agent four hopping the rails towards the center with the overcharging rainmaker.

"No time like the present, right Mariechi?"

"Wait, four! They aren't clear yet!" Her eyes widened when Kirin hopped closer to the inner rail that lead to where the fallen octobot fell. "4, hold your position. Dammit, 4, what the hell are you doing?"

"What I came here to do." Kirin hopped to the inner most rail, which stopped right over the damaged robot. Below the end of the rail, Octavio was still trying to throttle the human. Callie was trying to pull his tentacle off Drake, While Otome was trying to cut it with her own knife. He was right at the end of the line when the rainmaker started to shake in his hands, indicating that the overcharge was complete.

"Agent 4, I'm ordering you to stop this! You're going to kill them!" Marie pleaded.

"Well you should have thought of that before your orders got someone I cared about killed!" Reaching the end of the line, Kirin jumped off and pointed the barrel of the rainmaker directly at the octobot. "This is for Agent 5!" As soon as his feet touched the outer hull of the craft, he slammed the rainmaker barrel down on it, as if it was the end of an over done rainmaker match, then squid jumped away. The rainmaker self destructed, and the octobot soon followed suit in creating a massive burst of ink and fire, violently ejecting all four of the occupants.

"Cross fade... again.." Was all Octavio got out before he hit the ground in the center of the stage and passed out. Luckily for Drake, the massive Octo had cushioned Drake's fall, since he had landed on top of him. However, this provided little comfort. He raised his head, just in time to see the figures of Otome and Callie land on the far side of the platform and roll off of the edge.

"Callie! Otome!" Drake finally freed himself from the tentacle that had him in a choke hold a moment ago, and shoved it too the side. His legs wobbled when he got up, thanks to being covered in ink. Nevertheless, he forced himself forward. When he finally reached the edge after almost falling a few times, he saw that both girls were holding onto the sides for dear life. He ran to help them, and slid on his side to the edge.

"Sheldon, get us down there, now!" Marie barked, and the horseshoe crab driver did his best to get the flying truck to a position where they could help them.

"I'm trying... but.. we aren't going to make it, Marie.." Sheldon responded when he noticed that both girls were losing their hold and now only had one hand each on the platform.

"Yes we are!" Marie, not wanting to wait, squid jumped to the center platform.

"Drake.. help.." Callie looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Callie, give me your other arm!" Drake was reaching out to her from a position that she couldn't reach to, since he was trying to get both her and Otome at the same time. "Callie, you have to reach-"

"She can't!" Otome barked. "Drake, just get Callie. I'll be fine."

"But-"

"Just do it!" Otome continued to yell, despite losing her grip even more.

"Fine, but you'd better hold on! I'm not losing either of you!" Drake finally got up and moved closer to Callie. There's an old human saying about how chasing two rabbits will wind up with none, and had Drake taken that to heart, he might not have missed Callie's hand when she finally lost her hold. "Callie!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Both Drake and Marie could only watch as the younger cousin fell downward into the purple water below. Sheldon tried to move the truck under her, but was not fast enough. The splash of water confirmed what they didn't want to believe, and the magenta squid sister was gone.

"C-callie- noo.. NOOO!" Marie collapsed onto the ground as tears started to flow. Drake wanted to go to her. To comfort his friend, and tell themselves that it would be alright. However, the Octoling that was his girlfriend was still in danger. He whipped around to face her. Still hanging off the ledge, she was looking down with a horrified expression. As Drake rolled over to her and bent down, she glanced up at him.

"Otome, give me your hand." He reached out, but she made no effort to take his hand.

"Drake.. I'm sorry. I love you."

"Otome, what are- NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He tried to grab her hand, but she simply let go of the ledge. She went into a free fall, and didn't bother to try and reach for Sheldon's truck. Another splash a few seconds later, and the Octoling had also been lost to the tainted purple lake. "Why..." Drake slammed a fist down on the asphalt platform. "Dammit, why... Why would she do that.." Drake felt like throwing up. Both he and the sobbing Marie had just lost two of the people they cared about the most.

"Callie... Callie... it isn't real. Why.. why did this happen," Marie managed to get out between sobs.

"I don't know.." Drake took a deep breath to try to stay strong for her. "But I know who does." He helped Marie on her feet, and they turned to the one who had planted the overcharged rainmaker on the craft, despite orders to hold. They expected to see an expression of insanity, or perhaps one of hate or blood lust, but all they got from the boy was a blank look as he stood watching them.

"Agent 4... what have you done...?" Marie managed to get out. Kirin's blank stare continued, as if he had lost all purpose now that these events had transpired.

"Answer her, murderer!" Drake growled in a way that was barely human. Marie jumped, and looked over at him. His normally calm composure was now replaced with one that looked almost insane or beastly. Marie had only seen this look in her close friend once, and she knew what it meant. The last time it happened, he almost took his own life. Before she could stop him, he dashed towards the green agent. His speed was surprising, especially since he still had a fair amount of ink on him. With one move, he grabbed the boy, and slammed him into the platform's pavement.

"Drake, stop!" Marie said when she came to her sense. She dashed over to where he was holding the green boy down.

"I'm no stranger to killing, Marie. You and I both know this. But he... He killed them for no good reason!"

"Calm down." She put her arm on his. "And 4.. I told you to wait. Tell us why.." Kirin blinked a few times, but his eyes remained unfocused.

"Because... You Squidbeak agents... and that Octarian D.J. You took something from me."

"What do you mean? Squidbeak exists to protect others. We don't steal." Marie looked a little shocked at his accusations.

"That's the worst part. You don't even realize that it's your fault.. That Kirk is dead. Even if Octavio was the one who caused all this.. you let him die!" Kirin's eyes finally focused on Marie.

"Who.. who are you?"

"You should have asked that from the beginning. No, you should have known. We met once before. My name is Kirin. Kirin Kelpie."

...

"Alright, fan out! And keep an eye for that maintenance trolley," the Octoling captain barked at the group that had formed behind her. The group spread out as far as they could through the subway tunnel, with the humans bringing up the rear. They nervously moved down the tunnel, until they reached a fork in the track. The direction they came from lead to the E.C.S. station, and the direction the train had been going lead to the Octarian capital of Octoburg. The other path was a straight shot to Inkopolis.

"Where the hell did those two twins get off too.." Brandon muttered. It was hard to tell if either of them had gone back to the human station, or headed toward the inkling capital, and there were no footprints on the concrete track bed. Though, that question was quickly answered when a figure came running from the human side.

"Isn't that her brother?" A male octoling asked, and pointed.

"Yeah, it is. Kenny, what the hell are you-" Brandon had called out to his teammate, but stopped when the group saw that he wasn't alone. Several more Octolings were pursuing him, but something was wrong. The Octolings in question looked rather sickly, and their tentacles were blue instead of the standard red or dark brown.

"Hostiles!" Kelly raised her octoshot, and Kenny dove behind a support beam. "Take cover."

"W-wait, aren't those your kind?" Takeshi asked as the rest of the group raised their weapons and took what little cover was provided in the tunnel.

"Take a look at those tentacles. Last time I checked, Otome and her former squad mates were still under oath to not share with the army how to color change. Those aren't ours."

"Yeah, and what's up with their skin, Captain?" The Octoling boy asked while waiting for the hostiles to get in range. "They look-" he froze when he saw one of them stop and take aim. "Captain! Sniper- Ahh!" The boy didn't have time to finish when he was hit square in the head from an e-liter shot, leaving a large blotch of odd colored blue green ink. The boy was knocked back, and Takeshi caught him, only to see that it was the boy who had confessed to Tricia. His eyes were rolled up, and he was already dead.

"Reggie!" Brandon yelled, as an Inkling girl that was trying to line up a counter snipe shot of her own went down next.

"Right, sir." Reggie took aim with his marksman rifle, and squeezed the trigger. He hit the blue green Octoling sniper in the head, killing it instantly. The group all gave a confused look, as instead of falling to the ground, the Octoling appeared to just vaporize.

"They're in range. Fire!" Kellly yelled, and the remaining members of the scout party returned fire, dropping several of the sickly looking Octarians instantly, but they still kept coming. One Inkling girl was about to get crushed by a roller user, when a blast from Takeshi's shot gun sent it flying. The girl gave him a quick thanks before rejoining the ranks.

"I need a path to get to my man." Brandon said between taking shots at the hostiles.

"I hear you!" Kelly responded after dropping a sickly looking Octocopter. "You lot! Concentrate on the group trying to get to the human!" She barked. A few splatbombs and grenades later, and there was a hole big enough for them to move up. Brandon and Kelly took advantage of it, and moved up while Reggie covered them with his marksman rifle.

"L-lieutenant.. I.." Kenny started when they reached him.

"Save it. What happened, Kenny?"

"T-they took my sister.." He panted heavily for a few seconds. "D-down there!" He pointed towards the tunnel that lead to the human station. Brandon raised his rifle, and picked off a blaster wielding hostile Octoling, while Kelly fired a burst at a diver that was hiding in some equally sickly looking ink.

"We'll get her back. Can you make it back to the train?" Brandon asked. Kelly took down another roller wielding Octoling with a well placed burst to her lower chest. Kenny nodded, and got up. "Covering fire!" He yelled at the team that was defending the tunnel. Both Reggie and Takeshi stood up, and fired at any Octarian that was in Kenny's way, as he ran back down to where they were taking cover.

"Alright, he's clear. Our turn." Kelly said.

"No, I need to get Tricia. You head back, and I'll catch up."

"You're not going alone. There's still too many of them."

"Kelly-"

"I still technically outrank you, and I said no. I'm going with you, so move it!" Kelly gave him a shove, and the two managed to break away from the main battle. After splatting a few lingering hostile's on the way, they reached a large steel door on the side of the concrete wall. It was very large and heavy, and it looked like a vault door for a bank.

"This... this shouldn't be here." Brandon stood stunned along with Kelly. "T-there was nothing about this in the plans... I think."

"Yeah.. and where could it lead to? We aren't close enough to any settlement or city." Kelly pressed against the door, but it didn't budge a single inch. "And it's locked, of course."

"What ever took Tricia... it must have taken her through here."

"But how do we get it open? Can we use any of your fun bomb things?" Kelly asked, and Brandon shook his head.

"It's way too thick. The amount it would take to blast it open would cave in the entire tunnel. I don't think we can drill, either." The two stared at the door for several minutes, noticing an usual symbol on it. It depicted a thick angled line that were hooked on the ends, with a smaller version of that line right above it. below the lines was some strange writing. "That's not Octarian, is it?" Kelly shook her head, but then yanked him closer to the door. A few seconds later, and the maintenance tram passed by.

"I think that's our ride... come on. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do right now." Kelly patted his shoulder, and Brandon nodded.

"Thanks, Kelly." Brandon sighed heavily, and the two headed back, hoping that the hostiles had been mopped up. "But our leaders are not going to like this."

...

"You! You killed them for petty revenge? OVER AN ACCIDENT?" Drake roared. His eyes contained a fury that Marie had never seen before. It was clear to her that he had completely snapped, but even the time he had become suicidal after learning about his former best friend's death looked like a minor tantrum compared to this, and she didn't know if she could calm him this time. Especially not with out Callie and Otome's help. "THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH KIRK'S DEATH!"

"H-he's right." Marie said in a panicked tone. "T-the responsibility was on me. I was the one who had him on point. Y-you should have come to me instead of hurting them. T-they didn't-"

"That's the thing, isn't it?" Kirin responded flatly and unemotional. A direct contrast to Drake, who was all but consumed with rage. "I was.. but then I got to thinking.. when you recruited me... I thought.. I'd be satisfied... just taking something you cared about... like you took my cousin."

"Y-your cousin..?" Marie had to force her self to hold back tears at the mere mention of the word. "I thought you were his-"

"His brother? Please don't compare me to that deadbeat abusive bastard." Kirin's expression turned sour for a split second, before becoming emotionless again. "I cared more about my cousin than that loser brother of his ever did. You off all people should know you don't have to be real siblings to be family." Kirin paused for a moment. "And my sister... my sister has been a complete recluse ever since her fiancee was taken from her."

"Did he just say fiancee?" Sheldon asked, who was now standing behind them after parking the truck on the stage.

"Y-yes... I-it's uncommon but... sometimes in Calamari county.. cousins will be.. arranged to wed each other to.. keep the bloodlines from branching too far out. Some of the oldest families are... prideful," Marie responded, looking shocked. "I completely forgot the Kelpie family hailed from there."

"And you know the worst part? I don't even get to punch Kirk for breaking her heart. Always talking about that Neptune girl in his letters."

"So that's why... that's why you knew about us... and played me like a fool." Marie clenched her fists.

"It doesn't matter now-"

"The hell it doesn't!" Drake reached down and grabbed Kirin by the neck, lifting up the Inkling boy off of his feet. "You're insane if you think that day doesn't haunt everyone involved!"

"D-Drake, what are you doing?" Marie went wide eyed at seeing Kirin choke while being held in the air.

"He has to pay for this!"

"Drake, stop! You're killing him!"

"So? He killed two innocent girls just to get back at us! You should want him dead even more than I do!"

"Drake, put him down! You know this isn't what they would have wanted!" Marie pleaded. For a brief moment, Drake paused. "I agree that he needs to atone, but not like this. Callie wouldn't want you to kill in cold blood. And Neither would Otome." Drake slowly lowered his arm, as the fire in his eyes started to subside and he regained control of himself.

"Fine." He let go of Kirin. "You're right... they wouldn't." He let out a heavy sigh before turning away to where Sheldon was. "He's you're problem now, Marie. Sheldon, help me get this load of purple waste on the truck," he said, referring to the still unconscious form of Octavio.

"E-eh? Right away, buddy." The stunned horseshoe crab came out of his trance, and helped drag the Octoling by his tentacles to the truck, While Marie stood there, trying to figure out what to do with the agent that showed no signs of emotion anymore.

"Alright, get in," she said after a long sigh. "I'll figure out what to do with you when we get back." The boy got up with out a word and headed to the truck, getting in the back with D.J. Octavio. Since the cab had only two seats and Sheldon was needed up front to fly the truck back, Marie and Drake ended up sharing the other seat, due to neither wanting to leave the other in the back with Kirin and Octavio.

"Thanks for stopping me..." Drake said after several minutes of silence. Marie, who had been sitting on his lap and leaning against him, turned around so she could look at his face. "I would have done it... perhaps I've gotten too used to killing."

"No one reacts well to losing a loved one, be it a friend.. a lover.. or a family member." She paused for several seconds. "I... appreciate that Callie has someone that cares about her that much besides me. And helping each other out.. well.. that's our job as friends, right?"

"I guess so. And I told you before, that you two are both important to me. I'd be just as hurt to lose you."

"I know, and I'm thankful to have you in our lives. But we both know Callie is your preferred squid sister."

"Marie..."

"Just a joke." She tried to give her signature smirk, failing to pull it off correctly. Then she laid her head on his chest. "But for now.. let me stay like this."

"Yeah.. of course." He patted the top of her head Like Callie used to like. "Sorry if this comes out wrong, but I'm surprised you kept your calm.. considering.."

"I'd like to think its my intuition as her cousin.. that she's not really gone.. but.. I think my mind is still trying to process it... and accept it," she sighed, trying to keep the tears from flowing again. "Please.. just.. let me stay like this.. for a little while."

"Sure. Of course, Marie." They went the rest of the way in silence, apart from the sobs Marie tried to contain. Marie was also fiddling with her phone, sending out a number of text messages, while Drake just tried to clear his head. After the truck reached Octocanyon, they hauled D.J. Octavio into the spherical transport prison that Marina had repaired for them after her hack job was complete. Needless to say, he was not happy when he woke up a few minutes later.

"AGGG! NOT THIS SHARKSHIT AGAIN! LET ME OUTTA HERE, YO! I'M STARVING!" He boomed while pounding on the sides.

"Forget it, Octavio. You're going to be back in your cell tomorrow," Marie growled at him before turning away. Agent 4 was leaning against the cabin, while Drake kept an eye on him. "And as for you." She pointed at Kirin with her umbrella prop, now that she was back in her kimono.

"Oh, this should be good." Kirin rolled his eyes, still looking emotionless.

"For starters, you can stand here and watch Octavio ALL NIGHT!"

"And why should I do that, huh? Mariech-"

"You don't get to call me that." She glared at him. "And as for why, I'm sure you don't want Pearl to know about oe she won't be seeing her favorite idol anymore because of you!" She said that last part with a nasty grin that sent shivers down his back. His eyes finally showed hints of emotion again, and that emotion was fear.

"W-what do I care what some other idol thi-"

"Nice try, but I had a very interesting chat with her on the ride back. I know all about how little Kiri here was all buddy buddy with Pearl. Or should I say, Houzuki?"

"Wait, what? He knew that little gremlin?" Now it was Drake's turn to be surprised.

"Oh, yes. The Kelpie family is quite wealthy in Calamari County. Pearl's family used to send her over to play with him, his sister and Kirk when they were little. He even went to her performance in the same folk singing contest that Callie and I were in. I'm sure she'd absolutely loooove to know her childhood friend is a killer."

"Y-you wouldn't!" Kirin's eyes couldn't have been more wide.

"Then I guess you'd better make sure you do a good job tonight, huh? If you and Octavio aren't here when I get back tomorrow, then I'll make sure your little story here gets put all over her news program." Marie turned to leave, and Kirin slumped down with a defeated look.

"A-are you sure this is okay?" Drake moved over, and walked with her to the pipe that lead to Inkopolis. "Seems kind of a light punishment to me."

"Trust me, I'll be making him work for his debt."

"Who's debt?" They heard a voice come from the pipe in front of them, and a pink squid reformed above the grate. "Alright, what did I miss?" Neptune asked. Marie and Drake exchanged glances. "And where's Callie and the red one?"

"Neptune..." Marie sighed. "They're gone. They fell into the polluted water."

"G-gone?" Her eyes went wide, a rare expression for the team trickster. "How did-"

"You can talk to Kirin over there." Drake pointed to Agent 4, who was leaning against the globe. "Who, by the way, is Kirk's cousin- Hey!" He didn't have time to finish, as Neptune was already dashing towards Kirin. The two shrugged before heading into the pipe. Though even down there, it wasn't hard to hear the loud slap Neptune gave him a few minutes later.

...

Hours later, Drake was back in the Eden facility meeting hall, deep under the rest of the expanded territory the E.C.S. had built on. Brandon was reading the report of the tunnel incident, including the casualties, injuries, and missing team members. The maintenance trolley had managed to rescue the remaining survivors with out any further incident, but the whole ordeal had turned out to be a very serious occurrence for all three races. Which is why this was a hearing for treason. All of the higher ups, including Drake's own father, Manfred Von Kaufmann, were listening to the second in command's report.

"I hope it's clear to you just how serious this is." Manfred said when all the reports were finished. "You know how important the trans-border line was. You should have been there to insure security was at its best, and to lead your team in the event that exactly what happened, happens. Not only has your absence allowed the deaths of three Edef members and the disappearance of a fourth, the whole incident has the potential to escalate tension between all three races when it was supposed to calm them."

"And not only that!" Foreman Salazar stood up from his chair. "He just admitted to working with an enemy of all three states! That alone warrants charges of treason!"

"I only did it to save someone-"

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR GETTING US INVOLVED IN AN INTERNATIONAL IN-"

"Salazar, shut up!" Manfred barked. "I'm well aware of your thoughts. I would love to brush your bias aside but-" The middle aged scientist took a deep breath. "But this time, he is right. Drake, we've tolerated your insubordination in the past, since your judgement has usually been correct. However, your command is no longer just a small security force, and you cannot behave like a maverick in front of them. On that charge, you're found guilty, and your command has hereby been revoked."

"Manfred, you can't keep letting him get away with just a slap on the wrist," Salazar started again.

"I'm getting to that, be silent." Manfred waved his hand. "And Salazar is correct. You've gone too far this time. At best, tensions will rise again, if we are lucky and a war doesn't start over this. On the charge of treason, we find you guilty. The punishment is exile. You have one hour to gather what ever belongings and equipment you need. After that, you are no longer allowed within our territory. That is all." Manfred finished and stood up. While Drake had been mostly silent, the Edef members who were part of the original security team stood up to defend him, with the exception of Matt and the fallen Medic, Justin. Manfred simply ignored their protests and left with out saying a word to them or his son.

"Well, that could have been better. Could have been worse, but could have been better." Drake muttered to himself an hour later, after saying his goodbyes to everyone. Though the team had to hold Kenny back after he punched Drake for not being there to help his sister when she was his responsibility. The grace period was just about up, and he had just finished collecting all the gear he needed. In addition to full combat gear, he had gathered a full pack of survival gear, and as much ammo for the marksman rifle as he could carry, and some grenades that he knew he wasn't allowed to take. He also had a large pack of food that Fong had insisted he take.

"Yeah.. but everyone is worried that there might be a war now," Brandon said, who had been watching over him.

"I don't think this alone will do it.. but.. something stinks about all this," Drake replied.

"I'm kinda surprised your dad just up and left, and hasn't come to see you off, either."

"Honestly, I can't tell if it's because he's that ashamed of me, or it's his way of silently supporting what I was trying to do."

"You got me. Still can't believe Salazar is still after you over Commander Mclarrin, either."

"I've heard death and love can shake a person to the core, more than anything else," Drake sighed.

"After what you been through, I believe it." They ended up at the motor pool a minute later.

"You mind giving me a minute? I should say bye to Marco and Hiragi," Drake requested. Brandon nodded, and he went inside. After saying his farewell to the maintenance crew, he headed over to where the two prototype assault walkers were being stored.

"War, huh?" Drake climbed up to the cockpit of the anti infantry and air variant of the walking Tiger tank. He reached the cockpit, and stuck a device under the main console that he had requested Marco to build him in secret. "Then you stay here in case something goes horribly wrong." He climbed down and called for Brandon. His friend had been nice enough to Drive him to the Inkling city. Once they arrived, he climbed out of the APC, and said good bye to Brandon. When the vehicle was gone, his phone suddenly vibrated.

"Huh? An emote code?" He looked surprised at the text he had received. Since the new MK2 autotran now worked over electronics, they didn't use text messages much, but when they did, they had to stuck with their old codes, due to the fact that the autotran couldn't give the user the ability to read Inkling text. But it wasn't the massage itself that shocked him, it was the sender. Drake gathered his gear, and took off as fast as he could to Octovalley.


	8. 1.8 - Her Story

Night had fallen over the city of Inkopolis, and the neighboring neutral zone of Octovalley. While there was a fair amount of light pollution in the city, the valley was rather dark in comparison, since the only lights were the stars and the few lamp posts that illuminated the more important kettles. Which is why Drake was cursing himself for not grabbing a pair of night vision goggles on his way out. The beam of light from the flashlight that was attached to his weapon was the only source he had while looking around the valley for the person who had sent him the emote code.

"It said to meet at the shack..." He went over to the old squid's shack, which was completely dark and the generator was offline. There were no signs of either the owner of the shack, or the one who had sent out the text. "Was it actually the canyon cabin after all? No.. it must have been a prank. There's no way that she-"

"Drake-"

"Gah!" A sudden voice from behind made the human jump. He whipped around, and went wide eyed when he saw the one who sent him the text. The black and magenta tentacled inkling was standing behind him in her pink field outfit, looking at Drake with relief that he had shown up alone. "C-Callie?"

"Y-yeah. I'm b-back," she said with a nervous tone. She opened her mouth to say more, but the human quickly pulled her into an embrace. Something she didn't protest, and happily surrendered to. The two shed tears of joy at seeing each other, both believing they would never see each other again when the magenta Inkling fell into the purple river. Callie leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of being in the chest of the man she still loved as more than a close friend, his warm touch being the nice contrast to the cool and smooth feel of her Inkling kin.

"Callie. I'm so glad. I thought you were gone for good," Drake said between sniffles, not caring how weak he sounded.

"I did too. I.. All I could think of when I fell.. was how afraid I was of not being able to see you and Marie again after everything we've been through."

"I'm really happy you're back." He petted the back of her head, along the tentacle bow. An action that got him a content sigh from her. "But now... how did you survive? And where's Otome?" She fell in after you did." Callie looked up at him, and her expression went dark and her voice pained.

"Drake... there's.. something I have to tell you..."

...

Things felt like they were going in slow motion as she fell from the stage platform in the old assembly hall. Screaming, she looked up at the horrified expressions of the human she loved, and her beloved cousin that was next to him. The flying truck they once used as a makeshift stage flew towards her and she reached out a hand to grab it, but all she was able to get her hands around was the antenna, which snapped off rather easily. She could sense the water getting closer and closer with each second of the fall, until she hit the polluted river with a loud splash.

"It burns..." Her vision went completely purple, and she could feel the chemicals in the water start to react to her skin. She wanted to struggle, but knew it was pointless. Being able to swim in water was extremely rare in evolved cephalopods. "Am.. am I going to die.. here..?" The burning sensations were slowly getting worse, but from what little vision she still had, another figure was rapidly approaching her. "W-what?" her body moved on its own. She reached out to it, and the figure reached out as well. A hand soon gripped her own, and she went wide eyed when she finally made out the other figure.

"Otome..?" The Octoling turned back upward, and started pulling her towards the surface. She could see the lights from the stage, as they got closer and closer. Her mind was still trying to process how the Octoling was swimming, when the two broke the surface. Callie took in a deep breath, taking in the air that she had been deprived off.

"Hold on to me! I got you, Callie." The Octoling started swimming them to the edge of the river, the chemical burn starting to progress, which would soon start to dissolve her.

"Otome.. how? How can you swim?"

"Drake taught me. Now hold on. We're almost there, and I'm not losing you." She continued to pull Callie along, until they reached the edge of the river. Otome got a foot hold in the boggy riverbed, and pulled Callie close enough to where she could get a foot hold as well. "I'll be right behind you. Try to walk yourself out." Callie nodded, Otome pushed her far enough for her to be able to walk.

"I- I think I'm okay. Thank you so much, Otome!" Callie smiled, and stuck her hand out to help pull Octoling in.

"What are friends for?" Otome smiled back, and went to grab Callie's hand. But as soon as their finger tips touched, the Octoling was knocked away. Callie watched in horror, as she was pushed back out into the river, thanks to a large chunk of the metal fist that had been blown in with them. It was dragging her along to a waterfall.

"Otome! Look out!" Callie desperately looked around for something that might help her. She settled for a long coil that had been washed to shore, and chased the struggling girl to the edge of the water fall. "Otome, grab on!" She put out as much of the coil as she could out in the river. Otome caught it, and used it to pull away from the fist, just as it went over the edge. The Octoling tried to swim to shore, but wasn't fast enough, and she too went over the edge. Callie had to dig her feet into a rock pile to avoid getting pulled back into the water.

"Callie? Callie, you have to let go."

"I'm.. not.. gonna.." She grunted, as she tried to pull her up.

"You have to, or we both go over!"

"Not.. gonna.. happen... We're... going.. back.. together.." She continued to grip the coil. Otome just sighed, and started to climb up, sensing that she wasn't going to let go. About half way up, however, the coil suddenly snapped in half. Otome fell down the waterfall, and the lack of pull caused Callie to flip over on her backside, and her half of the coil went flying past her.

"Nononono!" Callie got up as quick as she could, and ran to the water falls edge, but saw no signs of her Octoling friend. Fearing the worst, she quickly found a path to the lake that the fall spilled into. Getting as close as she could to the water, she desperately looked around for any signs of her. "Otome?" She called out. There was no response, and she started pacing. "Otome! Please.. don't do this to me. You can't be gone.." After several minutes of this, she collapsed on her knees, and started crying loudly. The sound of falling water, and the Inkling girl's cries were all that were heard over the large lake.

...

"A-are you telling me... she.."

"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry. I looked for her as long as I could.. but... All I found was this.." The teary eyed Callie pulled out a small equipment belt, and held it up to the human that looked to be on the verge of breaking again. He slowly took it and looked it over. A holster was attached to it, with a handgun inside. Attached to it, was a spare magazine and a box of bullets occupied the pouch on the other side.

"It.. it's the handgun I gave her for her birthday, two years ago." He held the weapon up. It was an old but effective relic from the second world war.

"I'm sorry.." Callie was on the verge of breaking out in tears again. Drake just went back to rubbing her tentacles.

"It's not you're fault, Callie."

"It is! If I hadn't run off after Octavio-"

"You were just doing what you thought was right. If anything.. it's my fault."

"H-huh?"

"I should have been quicker, and not hesitated." Drake put his head in his palm. "And I should have trusted her words."

"T-that's not-"

"And I should have taught you how to swim with Otome."

"You.. were going to teach me?" She looked up at him, a little surprised. The thought that he would help her overcome a natural fear made her both happy and nervous at the same time.

"Yes. I was going to teach you and Marie a few months ago when it started getting hot, but you were still down from all the work stress. We were supposed to do it at the Calamari trip, but that never happened..." Drake paused for a few seconds. "So don't blame yourself. Besides, Octavio was the one who caused everything. And Looking back on it, I highly doubt Kirin could have anticipated all that happening, despite his words. Maybe he was right. We should have killed the old man when we had the chance."

"I.. uh.. I suppose... But needless killing is still wrong." Callie wiped her wet face. "I miss her already though..."

"I do too, Callie. I do too." They both stood in silence for some time with only the sound of crickets to cover Callie's occasional sniffle. Drake had a lot he wanted to let out to, but he decided he needed to be strong for her, and forced it to stay inside.

"S-so.. listen, Drake. I.. uh.. need a favor." She stopped sobbing and looked up at him.

"Sure. What ever you need." He forced a smile in return.

"C-can you... uh. Let me move in with you?"

"Wait, what? You mean back at the settlement?" He gave her a shocked look, wondering what brought the sudden request on. "Shouldn't you be back with Marie?"

"I...I.." She paused for a moment to avoid letting another torrent of tears flow over the bombshell she was about to drop. "I can't go back. I've been banned from Inkopolis, and all Inkling settlements." Drake stared at her in silence, not fully able to process what she just said. That the sweet girl, the big celebrity and one of the protectors of Inkopolis had been thrown out for something that wasn't even her fault.

"What.. what did you just say?"

"They called me a traitor and said I could never go back." She looked down with an ashamed expression. "The chancellor was there and everything and-" Callie stopped and froze when they heard the sound of something drop. Drake turned and quickly drew his handgun, aiming it at the interloper, only to find Marie standing there in shock.

"C-callie? You're alive?"

"M-marie?" Callie turned toward her with a horrified expression.

"Why didn't you tell me? And.. Is it true?"

"Marie, I.. I I didn't want to worry you. I'm sorry, I.. I.. We can't be together anymore and I didn't want to worry you-" Callie couldn't finish before Marie embraced her cousin.

"Callie.. how could you think that for even a second? I'm your cousin, and I love you. Do you know how hurt I was thinking I had lost you for good?"

"I... I.." Callie was struggling to get her words out, as tears of regret beaded down her cheek.

"I don't care who says you aren't allowed here anymore. You being alive is more than I could ever ask for after what happened!"

"Marie... Marie... whhhaaa.." Unable to hold back her emotions, she buried her face in her cousin's chest. Marie hugged her tightly, her own tears dripping on top of Callie's pink cap. Drake wanted to turn back and leave the two alone, but he had to see this through, and simply leaned against the shack to give the two time to themselves. It seemed like hours before the duo regained control over their emotions, and Drake looked up to see that they were both standing in front of him again.

"Drake.. I have a favor to ask of you as well. Please... look after my cousin."

"Marie.. I've told you before that you don't have to ask that of me. But, there is a problem. I can't take her back to the E.C.S."

"W-what? Why not? I'll be good, and -"

"It's not that. I would do that for you in a heartbeat if I could, but.." he sighed heavily. "But I've been exiled from my home as well."

"What?!" The two said in unison.

"Yeah.. They think I'm a traitor for aiding a known criminal and not being there to assist the Edef team with the trans-border train incident. I was actually planning on asking you two if I could stay at your place for a while." Both cousins looked at each other.

"We would love to have you.. and I trust you, Drake, but with her banned in Inkopolis and you banned from Eden-"

"Neither of us can house each other," Drake sighed. "Well, I can pull some favors and have Brandon get you in-"

"No!" Callie said strongly and clung to his shoulder.

"But it will be safe and they all know you-"

"No.. I don't want to be alone.. please!" Callie begged. Drake looked up at Marie, who shrugged.

"I'd rather her be with someone I trust as well," she said. "We need to come up with a plan." They all sat down on a nearby log. "And I know this isn't the best time but, while we think, can you tell me everything that happened while I was away at Calamari County?"

...

Several days ago...

"Just one more day." Callie sighed as she walked away from the train station and back towards the square. "Just one more day and I can put all this behind me and be with my family and best friends." Callie, who was in her Squidbeak disguise, mulled around the square a bit, wondering how to kill the time. "Maybe I should check up on Gramps." The magenta squid soon found herself hopping through the pipe grate, and in Octovalley some time later.

"Graaaammps! You awake?" Callie shouted at the empty shack. D.J. Octavio, who had been temporarily moved back to the valley after a break-in threat at the prison, just gave her an annoyed look over the noise she was making. Callie ignored him, and peaked inside. There were no signs of the old squid. "Gramps? Where did you get off too?" She made his way over to where the bed was, and noticed that both his squid phone and the telegram he had sent were both sitting on the counter. After reading the note about being on a research trip, she picked up his phone and sighed after seeing all the missed call notifications. "So that's why you weren't picking up. Just as forgetful as ever, silly old man." She giggled to herself, but a loud explosion was heard from the front of the shack.

"W-what the heck?" Having a very bad feeling, Callie grabbed her roller and ran back outside. The first thing she noticed was the sphere prison had a large gaping whole at the top. "Ah, crud! He's getting away again!" She whipped around, and saw him making a break for one of the kettles with several Octolings that were wearing a different uniform than when she had last done battle with them. "Oh, no you don't! You get your big purple butt back here!" She slammed the roller down and charged forward. The group turned around, just in time to see her ram the roller into the hips of one of the Octolings, knocking her out instantly as ink paralysis set in.

"Don't just stand there, morons!" Octavio yelled. One of his escorts raised an Octoshot to shoot her, but Callie swung the roller around, blocking the shots and spraying the Octoling boy with ink, causing him to lose the use of his limbs, and he fell backwards. She was about to charge at the third escort, but was suddenly grabbed by one of Octavio's tentacles. It lifted her up, and another grabbed and squeezed her arm, forcing her to drop the roller she was about to hit him with.

"Let go of me and get back in your cell, yah jerk!" Callie yelped. "Nobody likes you anymore!"

"Ha! That's rich. You've got a big debt to pay off, and you'll be liking me plenty when this is done." Octavio grinned, and lowered her enough so that the third escort could wack her in the head with a reverse engineered blaster, knocking her out instantly. Octavio and what was left of the escorts hopped into one of the Ceph kettles to head back to the industrial section of Octocanyon.

...

The next day, the figures of a pink squid in yellow gear, a red tentacled Octoling in the old Guardian Corps uniform,and an armor wearing human were slowly making their way through Ceph. Their steady but cautious movements hinted that they were searching for something. Any doubt of this by those that were observing them, was soon removed when the Octoling spoke.

"Could she really have come through here? We haven't seen a single sign of Callie since she didn't show up at the station for our trip."

"Yeah, but you two saw that busted up cell with no Octavio in it. You know she would never let him get away again," Neptune said with a tired yawn.

"And she's not back in the city. That much we know," Drake added

"Y-yeah.. I'm just worried about her. She's been gone for a day.." Otome looked down and slowed her pace.

"I am too, Otome. Something is not right about this."

"Geez, you make me sound like I'm just going through the motions." The current Agent 3 said with another yawn. "And I've been at this all day. Ceph is the only place I haven't ruled out."

"We know. You did good, Neptune." Drake patted her head, and Neptune sighed with a hint of comfort.

"It's not the same if it isn't big brother.. but that's not bad once in a while."

"You know Levin is still with Shara, and those two have been together for almost two years," Otome commented.

"Man, that's not what I mean." Neptune rolled her eyes and grinned a little. "Not that you two have much room to talk about relationships, Ms. I haven't done anything more than kiss with my pretend I'm not in a relationship forbidden ship boyfriend." Neptune grinned wider as Otome froze.

"How- How did you know?"

"Pa-lease. You can't fool the love detective."

"Love detective? Seriously Neptune?" Otome quickly facepalmed while Neptune continued to giggle. "This from the girl who couldn't even get her feelings across to-"

"Wait, stop!" Drake raised his hand to quiet the bickering pair. He then raised his weapon. "We're not alone."

"W-what?" Otome and Neptune quickly raised their weapons as well, but froze when a trio of sniper sights were on them. Several Octosnipers that were hidden in the ruined buildings revealed themselves and an number of Octolings came out of the nearby bushes and rubble piles. The three all backed up to one another, as the Octolings all encircled them.

"Alright, drop your weapons. The rightful king wants to have a word with you," the lead elite said, and pointed a reverse engineered blaster at Drake. The others quickly followed her lead.

"Best do what she says," Otome grumbled while scanning the area. She and Drake both lowered their weapons to the ground.

"Ha! Not a chance. No way am I going to be that sucker's 'guest' again," Neptune said, while aiming the Type-h at the Octolings that were near her.

"Neptune, you're going to get your self killed!" Otome hissed back.

"D'aw, you worried about me? Well it's better dead than red-"

"Quiet!" Drake said to shut them both up. He then leaned closer and whispered. "Hey. If I tank their shots for you, think you can squid jump away from here?"

"It's risky with out a beacon or proper coordinates... but I like the way you think," Neptune nodded in response.

"Even if we get away, they'll just capture you! We can't do that!" Otome protested.

"Yes you can, because-"

"Hey! What are you whispering about? Nevermind, hands up! Now!" The elite ordered, and waved her blaster at them. "Let me see those hands!"

"Then you'll see this!" Drake raised his arms in a defensive stance, then charged the elite down. She was too surprised to get out of the way in time, and he shoved her back, causing her to knock over several of her underlings. "Do it! Now!" He yelled, as the other Octolings all raised their octoshots, and started painting him with ink. Rapidly losing his strength from the ink's effect, he knocked another on to the ground who had pointed her weapon at Neptune.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Neptune who had already changed forms, quickly squid jumped away.

"Otome, go!" Drake ordered, who was now on his knees.

"No!" Drake looked up, and saw that Otome was standing in front of him with her arms spread out. "We give up, so stop hurting him!"

"W-what? I told you to-"

"Enough!" The elite snapped as she got back on her feet. "We could have done this the easy way, but you just had to be a tough guy." One of her underlings bashed Otome on the head with the butt end of an octoshot, knocking her out. The elite then shoved drake to the ground, and stomped on his head with her boot. "Right. Take these idiots to the interrogation room. We'll deal with the squid later."

Hours later, Otome was the first one to wake up with an audible groan. The first thing she noticed was that she was tied to a chair with the special cord that prevents form changing. They appeared to be in what looked like a hospital room. To her left, Drake was also tied to a chair. She went wide eyed when she saw the footprint shaped bruise on his head. "Drake! Drake, wake up." She struggled to try and free herself from the binding.

"Don't even try it," a voice to her right said. Standing next to a window that lead to another room that was completely dark, the Octoling elite stood in front of them with her arms crossed. She could hear Drake groan as he started to wake up.

"Ughh.. My head."

"Drake.. thank goodness," she sighed, then turned to glare at the elite. "You! What did you do to him!"

"Not as much as I would have if he hadn't ordered you kept alive. Speaking of which, he wants to talk to you, now that you're both awake." The elite hit a button and a monitor screen in front of them flicked on.

"Gyahaha. Well well. Look who it is. Payback's a pain in the tentacle, ain't it?" The Octobot king grinned with a smug look. "But hey, since you're here, I'm thinking yah can return your debt by doing me a solid." The massive octo signaled the elite, who undid their restraints.

"And what makes you think we aren't going to just take her weapon and leave?" Drake said, glaring at the elite while rubbing his bruise.

"Keheh. Yah didn't think I wouldn't have some insurance, did you?" He flicked a switch, and the lights in the next room came on.

"W-what? Callie!" Otome shrieked, and they both ran to the window. Inside, was indeed their friend. But she was laying on the bed, almost motionless, a moan escaping her. She had on her agent outfit, but had on a pair of the new Octoling goggles over her eyes. "What did you do to her!"

"Oh, just a little something that you should appreciate. Raise, Callie!" Octavio commanded, and the goggles flashed red. Callie's face went expressionless, and she rose off the bed. Next to her, a weapons case rose out of the ground. "Get yah a weapon." Callie then took a reverse engineered roller, then strapped an ink tank to her back. Another Octoling wheeled in what looked like a dummy in the shape of an Inkling. "Now splat that inksquirt."

"Yes, sir." She mercilessly swung the roller, covering the target with ink. She swung again, and it broke in two. The door opened, and Callie walked out of the room to where the two were watching the demonstration.

"Bastard! How dare you use the controller on her!" Otome spat. She was fully aware how it felt to be under his influence, and the thought disgusted her.

"Gyaha. Now that I got ya's attention, Yer gonna help me steal back the great zapfish. And if yah don't obey my commands, I'll remix her brain permanently. I gotta stronger version that will really mess her up." He hit a button, and the goggles turned from red, back into their normal hue. Callie collapsed on her knees, panting heavily. "I'll see yah soon. And don't be forgetting now." The monitor switched off, and the two helped Callie back on her feet.

"Callie, talk to me. Are you okay?" Drake asked.

"Uwuhh.. that was awful. I never want to go through that again," she answered, holding her head.

"It's okay. We're here," Otome said in a comforting tone, and hugged the black and magenta tentacled squid sister.

"T-thank you... I'm so sorry I dragged you into my screw up," she whimpered.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the pity party. And from now on, you will go by your new code names of Magenta, Guardian and Enigma. We got a job to do now, so get moving!" The elite motioned them to follow her. Otome let go of Callie, and Drake had to hold her back from punching her. After having their weapons returned to them, the elite lead them to an airship that was docked outside the building, where two other squads of Octolings had gathered. The elite went to the front of the group, and turned to address them.

"Alright, you pack of bottom feeders! Today is our lucky day. Our supreme leader and true emperor, has decided its time to take back what's rightfully ours for good! Those Inkling loving cowards from the army will regret the day they threw in with the weakling Octurus. Lord Octavio has ordered the recovery of the great zapfish, and our squad will be the diversion. We will attack a place called muscle forge fitness, and buy time for 2nd squadron to steal the zapfish. Now let's take back what is ours!" She yelled, and the rest of the squad cheered. They boarded the airship, and soon were on their way to Inkopolis.

"There has to be a way to stop this." Otome muttered, as the airship neared its location some time later. The journey had been rather quiet, and even though it was night, the city completely had its guard down. Nothing tried to intercept them once they were in Inkling airspace.

"There isn't. Not as long as he has Callie as a trump card," Drake shook his head. "I hate it too, but we have to grin and bear it until we get an opening."

"Right... but.. he didn't say we had to.. you know. Try hard."

"As I've said many times, I like the way you think, Otome." The two exited the airship along with Callie, and infiltrated the fitness center. They didn't have trouble breaching through the skylight in the roof. The group of 8 Octolings and 1 Inkling jumped down, while Drake used his grappling hook to descend into the building. The group hit the ground on a ramp that lead to a S.P.A.W.N. and fanned out, raising their weapons to the surprised Inklings. Since it was off hours, the gym was being used as a turf war arena, and they had landed right in the middle of one.

"W-what's going on? W-why is the Octarian army here?" A nervous boy on the yellow team asked. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out.

"Stay back, Marik." A female from the cyan team put her hand in front of him, then stepped forward. "You reds know you're not supposed to be here, right? You should know better than to violate the treaty that gave you reds a better deal than you deserve." She gave the elite the dirtiest look she could imagine. The elite in turn, just grinned and raised her hand up.

"Well, then. What's say we up the stakes, Inkling scum?"

"Pointless. The S.P.A.W.N. system will protect them while turf wars are active. It's not like this is new information." Otome shook her head at what she thought was the leader's bravado getting the better of her.

"Don't you worry. Our inside girl should be taking care of that.. right about.. now." The grin on the elites face grew wider, as both pads simultaneously sparked. The Inklings all turned to their respective S.P.A.W.N. points to see them both burst into flames. An alarm sounded, and the sprinkler system kicked in, showering the pads with safe freshwater, putting the fires out. Unfortunately, the damage already had been done and an automated voice came through the turf player's automaps that the turf war was canceled due to malfunction, and to vacate the area.

"T-the base pads!" Marik slowly backed away, as the cyan female turned to him with dread filled eyes.

"Marik! Run!"

"Too late." The elite swung her hand down, and the other Octolings all moved in at once. The cyan Inkling threw herself in front of Marik, taking several octoshot hits to the back. With the last of her strength, she pushed him backwards before falling on her stomach as ink paralysis took hold. She laid there with labored breathing.

"J-Juno!" The Inkling boy backed away with his weapon raised. His knees were shaking, and he looked torn between running and helping Juno. His eyes widened when one of the Octolings that was wielding a modified blaster, hit one of his teammates in the legs. Loosing all control, he fell forward into the trench that separated the base pad from the center section. His agonized wails echoed through the narrow passage, as he could be seen holding his injured legs. The Octoling then turned on him, ready to send an explosive ink ball his way.

"A-ah! No!" He raised his arms to cover his face, only to see a yellow stream fly past him and hit her in the neck. The Octoling fell into the trench, landing next to the injured boy, and was barely able to breath between her pained coughs.

"Get back dude! We'll cover you!" A charger user perched himself on the raised platform next to a catwalk that connected the yellow base with the center.

"Yeah! Eat this, you sea cows!" A splatling gunner hopped up on the small box that was on the very center of the contested zone. He unloaded a charge at the nearest Octoling. His pellets hit her armor and bounced off at first, but the continued burst soon broke through, and knocked her flat on her back. The remaining Inklings and Octolings all took cover and went prone, all taking potshots at each other.

"Enigma! Guardian! What the hell are you doing! Deal with that sniper and gunner!" The elite yelled in frustration.

"Hey, you never said we had to engage-" Drake started.

"NOW! BEFORE I HAVE LORD-"

"Alright, alright." Drake raised his rifle, taking his sweet time aiming for the boy's shoulder. Squeezing the trigger, he put a short burst into the Inkling. The sniper stumbled backwards, looking shocked and confused at the sudden and unexpected pain the unfamiliar weapon caused him. He fired another shot at the other shoulder, and he fell back and off the platform. "That should keep him unable to use his weapon for a while... even with their fast healing." He looked over to see Otome do the same thing to the splatling gunner's legs with a well placed burst bomb, causing them to give out from under him.

"All units, advance!" The elite yelled, and joined the remaining soldiers to push back against the Inklings they now outnumbered again. Marik was watching in horror as his teammates and former opponents were splatted, one by one. He ducked down, as two Octolings ran past his hiding spot to chase down a retreating sploosh user. But that was not his concern, and he rose back up to run towards the fallen cyan girl.

"Juno! Juno, are you okay?"

"Uhhg.. Marik.. I told you to run, stupid," the cyan girl groaned.

"N-no.. You always have to call me a coward, but I'm not running again." He reached towards her.

"Dammit, go already!"

"I-need to get you to a -ah!" He froze when another figure stepped in front of him. But then started to feel relieved when he saw the Inkling tentacles and clothing. "O-oh, your not Octarian." He sighed with relief. "Please, help me get her to the hospital before they come back." The girl stood there with out saying anything. "P-please, help me-" He froze when the girl raised the roller and pointed it at his chest. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm.. sorry..." Callie winced and pushed the roller into his chest. She only used minimal force, but it was enough to knock him down and splat him enough to cause ink paralysis.

"You.. you traitor.." Juno said with a pained growl.

"I'm so sorry..." Callie whimpered. Several tears flowed from her face. The fact that she hurt an innocent and a child at that, made her heart wrench. She didn't have time to say anything else, as the elite soon came back with the others.

"That's all of them. Give me a casualty report," the elite barked.

"Ma'am, all eight Inklings have been incapacitated and two of our own were downed. No deaths on either side," an Octoling male reported.

"What do you mean no deaths? Who told you to take prisoners!" She glared at the male, then turned to the two Inklings that Callie was standing next to. "Whatever, just kill them all. And we'll start with these two." The elite pointed her blaster at Juno and Marik.

"W-wait. You can't!" Callie's eyes widened from behind the goggles.

"What was that, Magenta?" The elite glared at Callie.

"I said you can't!" She stepped between the Inklings and the elite. "I won't let you!"

"Get out of my way. Did you forget I can have him fry your mind at anytime?" She held up her communicator.

"I don't care. You. Can't. Hurt. Them!" Callie said with a decisive tone that surprised everyone, including the human and Octoling that had been close with her for the past 2 years.

"She's right you know. You really shouldn't," Otome said, who grabbed the leaders hand, while trying to conceal her boiling anger.

"You got something to say? I'm this close to having him activate the device and both of you executed."

"I think what she means to say, is that they are worth more to you alive," Drake stepped in to try and defuse the situation. "You all want to start a war, right? Well, that might be a bit easier if the Inklings have witnesses that say they saw the army attack." The elite stared at him for a good few seconds.

"I guess you fossils are smarter than your puny heads make you look. Fine," she turned to the others. "Alright, fan out and use your squee-g to de-splat them just enough to keep them alive. Then break their weapons and tanks."

"Yes, ma'am!" The others responded, and spread out. The elite took several steps forward, before pausing.

"Guardian, Enigma, you two help unload the decoy mini zapfish. Magenta... just.. stand there and pretend to look pretty, I guess." The elite shook her head before moving to another area. Drake and Otome both gave Callie a quick pat on the shoulder to try to reassure her, before carrying out the Elite's orders. Callie slumped down, while watching Juno and Marik get treated. She wanted to cry, but over the last few hours, she had shed enough tears, and could only let out a sad sigh. She decided on the next best thing.

"It's the only thing I'm good at, after all." Callie wiped her face, and started to sing. She sang low and slow, to avoid drawing attention to herself as the others worked. While it didn't make her feel better about the situation, it did calm her a little. Eventually, she noticed an Octoling standing behind her. She paused and looked back, hoping it was Otome. The face of an unfamiliar Octoling with bright red tentacles that looked about Otome's age when they first met, was standing behind her with an expression of pity. Callie turned away, and went back to her singing.

After some time, she noticed another voice was singing with her. The other Octoling had joined in her singing, following along as best she could. Her voice was beautiful, yet familiar, and contained no trace of malice. Callie looked back again, and the girl had her eyes closed. Wondering how the girl was able to keep up so well, Callie continued to sing with the girl, until the group had bought the main force enough time, and Octavio ordered them to pull out, once he had claimed his prize.

...

**A\N. And change of plans. Last chapter went longer than I thought, so I had to break it into two. Also this splatfest is giving me ideas for another horror one shot, thanks to them shoehorning more human holidays as canon, so there's that to deal with. but we'll see how time goes.**


	9. 1.9 - Parting Ways

"I just can't believe it." Marie had her fist balled up while listening to Callie and Drake tell their story. The green and white tentacled squid had been on an emotional roller coaster ever since this whole ordeal had started, but hearing first hand how Octavio had used her cousin as a hostage and gone so far as to tamper with her mind, had caused the older cousin's blood to boil. Far more so than anything Kirin had done. "You know, I'm tempted to agree with Kirin. Maybe push him into the water, you know?"

"Marie, you can't.." Callie looked shocked that Marie would even suggest that.

"I know, I know. We don't kill unless we have to. But can you blame me, Cal? He's responsible for taking two of our friends from us, and.. and he tried to turn us against each other..." Marie looked down in shame.

"Marie, please.. I miss them too, but-"

"But, I know you'd never forgive me if I stooped down to his level. And I'd be the biggest hypocrite ever if I made you sad."

"T-that's not- I mean I'd always-" Callie put up her hands in protest.

"And I would never forgive myself either, if I tore us apart. That period where we grew apart last year was one of the most painful times of my life. It's like you said, Cal. We're the squid sisters." Marie gave her cousin a genuine smile and tried to strike their pose, but failed miserably do to their emotional state. But that didn't stop Callie from beaming a wide smile at her. She pounced on her cousin, knocking the two to the ground and kicking up a dust cloud. "There's my cousin that I know and love," Marie said, while rubbing the back of her head.

"I'd never hate you, Marie." Callie hugged her cousin tight enough to cause her to wince a little.

"Nor I you. This banishment crap doesn't change a thing. Your bright smile has always kept me going over the years, and even if you joined Octavio willingly, I would never hate or give up on you."

"M-marie, I'd never-" Callie's eyes went a bid wide at what her cousin suggested.

"I know. Geez, Cal, let me have my moment." Marie couldn't help but to giggle at her cousin. Laughing a little, Drake went over and offered his hand to the two laying on the ground. He pulled them both up, and they cleaned off their field uniforms.

"Sometimes I forget how close you two are."

"Mhm! I would still be just a little girl with stage fright, if not for Marie," Callie said in a happy tone. It warmed Marie's heart to know that Callie never stopped needing her in her life as much as she needed Callie.

"So don't act like you're not important to us anymore, okay?" Drake gave Marie a light tap on the back. Marie turned around and put on her signature smirk for the first time in a while.

"I suppose you're right, but I do recall warning you about saying embarrassing crap like that to me." She went over and linked arms with Drake, which made Callie noticeably flustered.

"M-marie, what are you-"

"Come on, Cal. We both reaffirmed that we'd do anything for each other... bbuuuutttt, we are gonna have to put ourselves first from time to time." She glanced up at the human, who had a puzzled and slightly embarrassed expression. "And miss early bird over there should know all about being first to get the worm. Especially now that a certain somebody is single ag-" Marie froze, and her expression turned to horror as she realized what she was saying. "Oh, Drake! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." He waved his hand to dismiss it, but was unable to cover the fact that his expression had darkened a little after being reminded of his loss. "Marie, I would be lying if I said that didn't sting, but I get what you were trying to do and I appreciate it. But.. give it a little more time before we talk about.. my relationship status.. okay?"

"O-of course." She quickly let go of his arm, and searched her mind for a way to change the topic before ruining the mood for good. "S-so I have a question," she announced, and the two gave her curious looks. "What.. exactly happened at the zeppelin factory? I know for a fact that Kirin didn't destroy that seeker, and we shouldn't have done as much damage as we did."

"Well..." Drake and Callie looked at each other. "Otome and I were kinda on our last... well, chance. We were still working on a plan to rescue Callie, but Octavio had ordered us to eliminate the new agent. Obviously, we couldn't flat out do that, but with him breathing down our neck... well, we came up with a little plan that was supposed to buy us some more time."

...

Earlier in the day...

"Man, we really pissed him off this time," the gas mask wearing human commented. He was sitting next to Otome, as they rode on the carrier zeppelin to their next objective.

"Tell me about it," the Octoling sighed and brushed her tentacles that were swaying in the wind. "I'm just glad I was able to talk him out of activating the device again."

"I guess you always did have a way with words."

"Yeah, very funny." Otome sighed, and turned around to look at the girl in question. Callie was standing behind them, and was singing along with the same Octoling from their offensive at muscle forge. "I just wish I could have done more for her. Their singing is about the only thing that's kept her spirits up."

"You jealous?"

"Enough with the jokes!" Otome gave him a slight wack on the head under his helmet. "What are you, Neptune?"

"I can be, if that's what it takes to keep us sane."

"Smart ass," Otome sighed and shook her head again. "But maybe I am a little bit... I can't sing that well.."

"She is the new lead singer for Turquoise October, after all. And I agree, those two go together pretty well. Buuuttt..."

"I'm afraid to ask what." Otome rolled her eyes at Drake.

"I think Callie still loves your dancing the most. Splatfest dancing specifically." Drake smirked from behind the mask, despite that it was completely hidden.

"Oh, come on. Are you really gonna bring that up!?" She felt like smacking her partner again, especially since an Octotrooper was laughing at them, but held back since they had a bigger issue to deal with. "But enough jokes. This Agent 4 is supposed to be coming through here, and if we screw up again..."

"I got it covered, Otome." Drake gave her a thumbs up.

"What do you mean?"

"I planted a few surprises here and there. Should buy us more time and we can say that it happened while we were at Moray Towers as ordered."

"Nice, thinking." Otome grinned, but stopped when she looked down. "Hey, don't look now, but our new friend is here." Drake looked down as well, and saw Agent 4 staring up at them as they passed by. After a few moments, another figure in the agent uniform yanked him under the platform.

"Uhhh, Otome?" He looked back up at his companion. "Was that..?"

"Yeah. It's Neptune. She's alive." Otome gave a relieved smile.

"Ahah, so you do care-"

"What? Did you say Neptune?" The two turned to see Callie standing behind them. "Neptune is okay? That's great! I was so worried when you two told me you got separated from her."

"Well, you know her," Drake chuckled, and the other two did as well. The zeppelin soon started flying out of range of the factory. "Anyway, I think it's time for some fireworks, don't you?" He pushed the button on a detonator, and they could see an Octoseeker erupt in flames. Several more explosions went off after the seeker crashed into the assembly line.

"Whoa! That was cool! Can I blow something up!?" Callie's eyes lit up.

"S-sorry, that's all I had. But maybe next time." Drake quickly said when he saw her dejected look.

"Careful, Drake. We don't need to ad pyro maniac in addition to a driving hazard." Otome grinned at the two.

"H-hey! I'll pass the test next time!" The three continued to bicker, as the zeppelin continued on away from the battle taking place at the factory.

...

"I knew it. There's no way Kirin could have gotten that lucky. Especially since the explosions came from the backside," Marie commented when they finished their story. The wind had been picking up in Octovally, kicking up a thin layer of dust in the night breeze.

"Yeah, a bit of an oversight on my part." Drake was forced to admit. "Octavio figured out what we were doing, and ordered Callie... well, forced Callie back to Cephalon. The next time we saw her, she was wearing that gaudy outfit, along with those hypnoshades and stupid tattoo. And trust me, he wasn't lying when he said the optical hypnoshades are stronger than the older controller, which was more auditory based."

"Tch. That purple bastard always gets off too easy," Marie said with a hiss as she recalled Callie's condition during the fight.

"U-uh... About that tattoo.." Callie fidgeted a little when the topic was brought up, which caught both of their attention.

"What is it, Cal?"

"W-well... promise... not to.. freak out.. or anything..." Callie sheepishly started to raise her top up, just enough to expose where the tattoo was originally located on the lower right side of her stomach. Marie gasped, and Drake went wide eyed at what they saw. The tattoo had been removed, but a burn mark had been left behind from the chemicals.

"Callie, are you alright? We need to get you to a doctor right now!" Marie took her hand.

"B-but I'm banned, and-"

"Forget this stupid banning! You could have gotten sick from that water-"

"Marie, I'm okay!" Callie took her hand back, which made her Cousin jump a little from her sudden move. "Really, I'm fine. I'm happy that you are worried over me, but I was already looked at by a doctor before my hearing. They said I wasn't sick or injured, but the mark would probably be permanent."

"That's a relief..." Marie sighed. "You scared me there, Cal."

"What's the deal with that hearing, anyway? There's no way you could have a proper trial in such a small amount of time... unless they already made their minds up, like with what happened to me," Drake said with a bit of a snarl.

"After I was done at the doctor, some goons from the chancellors place ganged up on me. At first I thought it was some weird fans trying to mob me, but then the showed me their badges and the official seal of his office. They said I had to come with them... and.."

"Of course that's when they decide to actually get in gear. Totally not when they were needed, like say... BACK WHEN THIS MESS FIRST STARTED TWO YEARS AGO!" Marie spat the last part out, and neither the magenta cousin or the human could really blame her.

"Or when the E.C.S. was trying to set up formal relations with the Inklings when the Octarians were already showing interest," Drake added, and Callie nodded at his words.

"Yeah, no kidding. It's a wonder Inkopolis is still standing," Marie shook her head in irritation. "Sorry... keep going, Cal."

"They told me... that I was a traitor... And- and I asked why, and they told me.. they told me that I let Octavio escape and helped him steal the zapfish." Callie started to tear up again, but Drake gave her a gentile pat, which kept her from going over the edge.

"What? Say what?" Marie's expression filled with both anger and shock at her words. "How... how could they know what happened already? And for that matter, how could they have possibly known your involvement? And if they did, they should know that it wasn't your fault."

"I told them that I didn't know what they were talking about, but they knew everything. From Octavio breaking out, to Kirin blowing up the Octobot. I.. I.." Callie looked directly into Marie's eyes. "I had no choice, Marie."

"W-what do you mean? Why didn't you protest, or call us to defend you?"

"They.. they said that if I didn't sign a confession.. they.. they would bring in every single person I had any contact with. You, Drake, gramps, Levin, Shara, Neptune... Even Pearl and Marina. They.. they said that they would interrogate everyone and arrest anyone who they thought was involved and charge them too. But if I.. if I confessed, they would keep everything quiet and just announce that I was on an extended leave."

"Why that low down, sniviling, scheming, blackmailing little SHARKSHIT!" Marie roared, which echoed through the valley and kicked up more dust. "HOW? HOW DARE THEY DO THAT TO MY COUSIN!" Marie whipped around to head back to the city, when Callie grabbed her arm. "Let go, Callie! I'm going up there, and-"

"Marie, don't" Callie shook her head rapidly. "Don't. I know you would give up everything for me, but.. I don't want to ruin your life. And its not just us. I don't want them to ruin our friend's lives, either. And the deal's already been done. They're even having a splatfest to celebrate the return of the zapfish and.. well.. me." Callie pointed to the city that had been lit up more than normal. Faint notes of music could be heard that matched Off the Hook's on going performance.

"I was wondering why they were having a sudden splatfest. I guess they really got us in a vice this time," Marie sighed. "Aright, you can't go back, and he can't go to the E.C.S. What's our next move?"

"Well... there is one place we can still go that doesn't require us to fly to one of the outer islands," Drake started after a few minutes of thinking.

"And where is that? Because I'm drawing a blank-" Marie paused. "Wait, you're not suggesting-"

"I am," Drake nodded, guessing at what Marie was thinking. "If we avoid the domes that were hijacked by Octavio and went straight for the capital of Octoburg, we should be able to find something to do underground."

"Wait wait, that is way too dangerous," Marie said as she nervously twirled the umbrella prop. "I mean, I know the capital likes us and all, but Octarian territory is Octarian territory. And we all know what Octavio's slobs are capable of."

"If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

"W-well I uh..." Marie frantically paced back and forth a few times as she tried to come up with an answer. "Fine, but I'm going with you-"

"You can't." Callie rapidly shook her head.

"What do you mean, I can't? Whats gotten into you, Cal?" Marie stopped and eyed her cousin. Callie wanted to look away, but kept her eyes locked on Marie.

"Because who will make sure Octavio doesn't escape again?"

"She's got a point. Much as I'd like to stick together on this, who know's what he will do if he gets out a third time," Drake nodded in agreement with Callie, but Marie wasn't convinced yet. Something she let show on her face, while trying to keep herself from raising her voice.

"What do you think my new whipping boy is for, huh? Kirin isn't getting off with just a day of night duty-"

"It's not just that!" Callie interrupted her, which made Marie wince a little. "Who's gonna look after Gramps? And besides, he left you in charge when he was away, despite me being Agent 1!" Callie paused to calm herself, when she realized that she was starting to raise her voice at Marie. Something she was already regretting. "Marie, we both know Gramps has been getting a little... off lately."

"Yeah... yeah, you're right, Callie," Marie sighed, irritated that Callie was right about that painful truth. Like Octavio, the old squid had long passed the regular life expectancy for Inklings, even setting new records each year. While his physical state wasn't too bad for an elder of over 100, his mental state had shown signs of deteriorating. "I've noticed it too, Callie. I know we've been so busy lately, but even I can see it."

"Wait, hold on. What's been going on with the old man?" Drake raised an eye brow. He himself hadn't seen cuttlefish at all since the squid sisters, Otome and himself planned the trip to Calamari County.

"He's... been getting forgetful lately." Callie looked down with a sad expression.

"And more... eccentric." Marie nodded with a sigh. "Like sometimes he forgets we signed that treaty with the Octarian emperor, and rants about the zapfish being stolen. Then there's that sudden obsession with rap."

"Wait, rap?" Drake looked at Marie with pure disbelief.

"Yeah, and I don't know where that came from, either. I can't even blame it on Pearl, since that started before their official debut."

"If he was human, I'd call it senility or something. Poor bastard." Drake shook his head. "Well, what ever it is... I kinda agree with Callie. One of us does need to hold down the fort."

"And I guess that means me." Marie buried her face in her glove. "Alright, fine." She turned to look Drake square in the eye. "Drake-"

"I will, Marie. I'm well aware of the promises I made. I'm not gonna let anything else happen to her."

"I know you will, Drake." Marie nodded, then walked back over to her cousin, then pulled her into an embrace that Callie was happy to return. "And you. You take care of yourself, you hear? I can't lose my cousin again."

"I will, Marie. And I won't be alone. We will see each other again soon... right?"

"I know we will, Cal. You know I love you."

"I love you too.. my cousin." Callie closed her eyes in an attempt to not let herself cry during their last moments together for the time being. Drake stood in silence, to allow the cousins the time they needed. After a few minutes, Marie turned away. The silent good bye during their embrace being enough for her. As she started to head back to the city, she stopped just after passing Drake, and turned to him with a serious expression.

"And as for you... I'm holding you to what you said. If I don't get my cousin back in the condition I left her.. well you know." Marie grinned a little and stuck her hand out. Drake went to grab it, but she yanked him towards her, which was impressive given the size and physical difference. She wrapped her arms around him, and leaned into his chest. "Just kidding. I know you'll take care of her, but... make sure you come back as well. You're my first elder race friend, and one of the few true friends we have. I want... I need you both back."

"Count on it. I consider you my family, after all. Especially after all we've been through in the last two years."

"That really makes me happy.. more than you know." Marie separated herself from the human, and turned back towards the city, thought not before Drake slipped something into her pocket. She gave them both a wave and a smile before disappearing into the connection pipe. Drake stood there for a few minutes, taking in the sight of the city, when he noticed Callie standing next to him.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he said while still facing the city. "I'm sure we can figure something out, or keep you hidden-"

"No." Callie shook her head, before looking up at him. "I don't want to ruin her or anyone's life over this. I.. need to grow up.. like she always says." Drake raised an eye brow at this. He reached down and took her hand, noticing that it was trembling a little, despite her words.

"Callie, I told you before that it's okay to cry in front of me. You don't have to be Callie the squid sister all the time." Drake reached out with his other hand to give her top tentacles a small pat. Callie smiled a little at this, while wiping her moist eyes.

"Thank you, Drake. But.. I owe it to them. To Marie, and our friends. I still have you, after all. So no more crying." Callie leaned up on her tiptoes and gave the human a peck on the cheek before he had a chance to react, then turned away and jogged towards the valley with a giggle.

"H-hey, wait up!" Drake took off after her in a hurry. Even to this day, it felt a little odd to have formed such a strong bond between human and evolved cephalopod in the future, even going so far as to fall in love. But things like Callie's smile, Otome's devotion or Marie's playful way of expressing affection, always reminded him why he never regretted his decisions, no matter how weird it made him look to his own race. He didn't even think twice to once again chase the magenta Inkling down to the domes of the Octarian race.

...

Kirin was pacing back and forth between cuttlefish cabin and Octavio's spherical prison. An action that would always be accompanied by a deep sigh. This had been going on for a while, and he lost count of the amount of times it happened. At least he had, until he saw the long number of tallies that Octavio had scraped onto the side of the prison, and the one he just finished adding brought it up to 31.

"Were you seriously keeping count of that, old man?" Kirin gave him a confused look.

"Not like yah hipsters gave me much else to do in here. And I'm STILL STARVING"

"Well ain't that a shame." Octavio added another number to the tally as Kirin sighed again. The green inkling rolled his eyes at him, and not wanting to be a source of entertainment to his cousin's killer, plopped down next to the prison. As much as he wanted to splat the Octarian leader and be done with it, he didn't want to piss off Marie more than she already was. The two sat in silence for some time, while waiting for the green and white tentacled agent to return.

"You know, you look dead. Like more dead than a dead ink squirt," Octavio said after a while.

"What would you know?" Kirin spat, not wanting to listen to Octavio's ramblings.

"Because I know that look."

"WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT ME OR WHAT I WAS PUT THROUGH!" Kirin quickly turned back to Octavio, his brooding expression turned to one of rage. But as quickly as the fire in his soul started, it was snuffed out when he saw the massive Octarian. He looked much older. He looked tired, and as if all his years had suddenly caught up with him. He looked as if he had given up. His angry and smug expressions were no where to be seen.

"Kid, you haven't payed much attention to what the fossils left behind, have you? And I don't mean the technology."

"What are you talking about? What do the elder race have to do with this?"

"Back when I still followed the coward hipster emperor, I had to listen to all his ramblings about the documents he translated. Maybe if I'd actually payed attention to it, I wouldn't be in this stupid thing." He weakly tapped the side of the glass with the tentacle that bore the X shaped scar. "Maybe those boneheads weren't as stupid as we thought. Even with those small heads."

"Okay, if you're going to waste my time, at least try to make sense, you-"

"Have yah ever heard the fossil saying of, "He who sets out on the path of revenge should dig two graves?"" Octavio paused to observe Kirin's reaction. The green boy didn't respond, but his facial expression told Octavio all he needed to know. "Guess it doesn't matter if yah did or not, I can tell you know what I'm getting at. I let myself be blinded by getting back at cuttlefish for costing me the great turf war. I lost sight of our real goal, and most of the Mariner corps eventually deserted me. Small wonder how squidbeak managed to beat me three, no, four times now."

"Your losses are no concern of mine." Kirin turned away from the prison.

"You can at least humor a bored old man, can't you ink boy? Or did I strike a nerve?"

"Shut up. Shut the hell up!" Kirin slammed his fist down on the bench he was sitting on.

"And there yah go again. Why don't yah just lay it on me, huh? Not like I can write a bunch of nasty articles on you while I'm stuck in here, eh killer?"

"You...!" Kirin clenched his fist, causing some blood to be drawn. Seeing this seemed to calm him however, and he realized while Octavio was his hated enemy, he was right about something.

"You regret it, don'tcha?"

"I..." Kirin took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Two years ago, I lost my cousin. Two years ago at your stupid little rebellion with The Chaos."

"Oh, I remember that. Don't remember killin any green Inklings, though."

"Of course you wouldn't!" Kirin snapped at him to get Octavio to shut up. "You didn't kill him directly, but because you conspired with that damn crazy chairmen Azula Torrent, he died defending Inkopolis from your dumbass conspiracy!"

"Well then why the long face? Yah got me, didn't yah?"

"No, you old idiot! Geez, no wonder I was able to take you down." That last phrase earned him a glare. "Its because..." he paused to try to sort out the mixed emotions that were flowing through him. "It's because I blamed Neptune for getting herself captured that he decided to grow a pair and rush in to rescue her. I blamed the other agents and that Octoling for not protecting him. And most of all, I blamed Marie for not being a good enough leader to keep him alive."

"Mhm, mhm. So this old man knows what he's talking about, huh? Yah do regret it. Better take it all in, or you'll become like me." Octavio nodded to himself.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you're going to annoy me with your ramblings, at least make sense!" Kirin hit the side of the prison with the Type-H.

"I'm tired." The old Octopus sighed, and Kirin could see his eyes drop some. "The desire for payback is the only thing that kept me going, boy. I wasted so much of my life on it, and what do I have to show for it? Even I can't deny that I'm old, and I'm left with no wife, a run down home, my army deserted me and I don't even have my freedom anymore. Yes... you'll be just like me if you let your rage define you. There will be two graves, and yours will be right next to mine." Kirin stared at Octavio for several minutes, unable to say anything. The Octarian tyrant's words had struck him to the core, and he was right.

"It doesn't matter..." he mumbled after finally being able to work up a response. "It's far too late. I've already hurt-"

"Bah!" Octavio opened his eyes again, and swung his tentacle in a dismissive pattern. "That little hipster squid sister is fine, ain't she? She'll get over it. And as for the other..." he paused, looking rather pensive. "As for the other, that ink squirt has been a pain in my tentacles for longer than you know. If I had even just a few squads of elites with her resilience and stubbornness, I would have won the first great turf war. I doubt you could do her in so easy."

"But I-"

"NO BUTS! GROW UP ALREADY!" Octavio boomed in his old voice. Something that made Kirin grab his ears. "AND WHY AM I EVEN LECTURING A WORTHLESS SQUID! I OUTTA-" He paused when he saw something out of the corner of his eye, and turned to glare. "AND WHO THE HELL ARE- Oh great. It's the pink one."

"Great indeed." Kirin sighed once again, and turned to face his fellow agent. "Neptune I'm not in the-"

"So this is where y'all been hidin`!" Kirin froze, when he heard the familiar Calamari County accent. In front of Neptune, who was looking at him as if she was about to witness a land shark fight with a giant amoeba, the Inkling in front of her, was a yellow female. One that he recognized. "I been bustin my chops looking for yahs ever since yah vanished on me in the square. I hope y'all got a doozy of an explanation, Kirin."

"U-uh.. hey, Selka."

...

The water in the Cephalon sector, if it can even be called that, was just as putrid as Callie remembered from earlier in the day. Drake had asked her to show him where she had last seen Otome, but apart from some debris from the metal fist that had dragged her over the fall, there were no signs the Octoling had even been here.

"Nothing... there's no signs.. no clues.." Drake hung his head low, as Callie came back to him from another part of the lake.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't find anything either... just these stupid... shades..." Callie held up the hypnoshades that had caused her to be a willing servant of D.J. Octavio.

"I... I.. refuse to believe it." Drake looked up at Callie, which surprised her a little. "Even if her body was dissolved, there should be some signs left over. Clothes, weapons, blood on the rocks." He looked over at the water fall, and the jagged rocks were spotless, say for some of the Octobot's rubble.

"Yeah.. yeah, you're right. She's Otome, after all. I believe my friend is alive." Callie smiled a little, before returning her attention to the glasses.

"We should get moving again. It's way too late, and- stop playing with those things." He went over to her when he noticed that she was still holding the hypnoshades.

"B-but these are actually kinda cool!" She moved the shades to her face.

"No, they're dangerous!" He snatched the shades from her hands, which made her frown. "And I'm not taking anymore chances." He threw the shades into the lake, then took out his rifle. He aimed it the shades that were still floating and pulled the trigger. A loud crack echoed through the sector, and the shades broke in two before sinking.

"Aww, but I need new shades and those were fresh." Callie pouted, and Drake put his arm on her shoulder.

"It's better safe than sorry with those things... especially since that's three times I've seen my friends be mind controlled."

"O-oh.. right." She brushed off his arm and started to walk to the other side of the lake.

"We'll get you some new shades after we figure out what exactly happened to Otome another day."

"Well then let's get going. Last one to Octoburg is a sea snail!" She forced a smile and jogged towards the nearby kettle with Drake in tow, not wanting to be left behind by a magenta Inkling that more than likely forgot that humans can't use kettles with out help.

...

The two idols were nearing the end of the song Ebb and Flow, as Pearl hopped around the stage, while Marina sung along with her. The great zapfish had returned, and the celebratory splatfest was in full swing. Those not engaged in turf war combat, where enjoying the performance. "Yo, Inkopolis! Hope Y'all like the show so far. We're gonna take a quick break, but then we'll be back to slay y'all with Acid Hues!" Pearl gave the crowd a thumbs up before going to the back of the stage with Marina.

"Phew, I had No idea that splatfest is this grueling. I don't know how the squid sisters did it," Marina said, as she wiped some sweat off her head.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, girl. We got a long ways to go!" Pearl grinned at Marina's expression of dread. "And speaking of the squid sisters, guess who showed up." Marina leaned over to look where Pearl was pointing. Marie was standing above the Octocanyon junction with her parasol prop.

"Is that Marie?"

"You guessed it. Ain't it strange that she's by herself in the corner with Callie no where to be seen? And that neither of them showed up to the interview we set up about Callie's return?"

"B-but maybe they're just tired, or the police wanted to make sure-"

"Ah, sharkspit! The cops don't know jack, yo! Something is going on behind our backs, and I don't like it! Once splatfest is over, you and I are gonna form an investigation team!"

"W-what?" Marina looked at her friend with shock. "B-b-but we can't! We don't even know how or where to investigate!"

"Oh I know just the place to start!" Pearl grinned and pointed to a figure at the back of the square that was wearing a hood to hide its face. "You see that shady looking guy over there?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Trust, me he's up to something. I'll bet you anything its an Octarian or a fossil." Before Marina could argue, Fran showed up to inform them it was time to continue the performance. Pearl quickly dragged her Octoling co-worker to the center of the stage before she could argue.

"Well, those two get along well," Marie commented while watching the two perform acid hues. "But we were still the best, right Cal?" Memories of past splatfests slowly came back to Marie. Some were big and heated, others were fun and friendly. But all of them had a special meaning to Marie. Each and everyone of them she would be up on stage with Callie. The two would sing and dance with smiles and laughter. But even among those precious memories, two stood out more than the rest.

"Those were some of our happiest times." Marie then recalled her favorite memories of past performances. The first was just after the first defeat of Octavio. Callie was dancing with Kirk and Neptune, the soon to be agents 5 and 6, while Marie danced with the original 3 and 4, Levin and Shara. Next came her other favorite Memory of when she went up against Callie directly, who had their two best friends on her team. First they took Otome up on stage with them to dance to several songs. The Octoling did her best to keep up with the two, and they had a lot of fun together. Later that same night, they took Drake on stage and introduced their first human contact with the city.

"Callie..." Marie shut her eyes as the last memory finished. She had shed so many tears in the last few days, but despite that, allowed one last drop to fall from her cheek and drip to the ground below. "I won't cry anymore. I will get you back. I will have my cousin and my best friends back. We.. are family. I will bring you back, and all of us will be back on the stage." Marie let her form deteriorate, and dropped through the grate to head back to the cabin with a new determination in her soul.

**A\N: And with that, Arc 1 is done. I will be taking a break before arc 2, though the October 1 shot is still a maybe. It will be added to the book of one shots if I do. Also considering writing alt endings for the other 2 stories, but its probably too late for that. Anyway, Let me know what you thought of arc 1 so far.**


	10. 2.1 Full Circle

**Author's note: This took a bit longer than I meant to get out, but enjoy the first chapter of arc 2. Let me know if anything seems off after the long break.**

In the center of the large Octarian capital dome of Octoburg, lies the tallest building in the very center of the city. This building that stands out from the rest, as it's the government building that houses the Octarian imperial family. Emperor Octurus, the current emperor, usually spends his working hours in the executive floor of the building, overlooking the city below from his office. The same office that two Inkling idols and the city's first human visited to sign the peace treaty of 2019 O.S.C.

In the center of this office, lies a large desk that overlooks a meeting table. Normally, this is where the emperor would be issuing decrees and filing through documents, but today he appeared to be taking it easy. Or at least that's how it looked from a distance. Which is why the attendant that walked into the room was confused when he didn't answer her calls.

"Emperor Octurus? Excuse me, but your son is calling from guardian HQ." She waited a moment, but got no response from the massive Octoling. "My emperor?" Nervous, she stepped forward to see why he hadn't answered her, while silently praying she wouldn't get chewed out for violating protocol. Usually, the outspoken Octarian was quick to issue an answer to a question, or respond to something that needed his attention, but it was unnerving to the attendant to see his pensive like state.

She was about to call to him, when she froze. The light had made it hard to see what Octurus was leaning over, but after closing the distance, it was soon obvious. Emperor Octurus, one of the strongest and largest Octolings in the entirety of Octarian territory, was bleeding from his chest. The source of the blood, came from a large silver dagger. A dagger that was burried in his chest. A large pool of ink and vital fluids had formed under what was now a lifeless body. The entire executive floor was soon filled with the scream of the terrified attendant girl.

"A-alarm! The emperor has been assassinated!"

...

In the early hours of the morning, a male figure was stumbling around a two room dwelling. On each side of the larger room, was a set of bunk beds that allowed for up to four sleepers. Currently, three female Octolings and a single male occupied them, despite the fact that there should have been an additional girl sleeping in the single bunk in the corner that was brought in earlier. Their weapons and equipment were being stored in a small set of lockers. On the far side of the room, was a small table and set of cabinets for dry food and other needs. It was cramped, but such were the standards for the army.

In the back side of the room, was a bathroom that only contained a toilet and a sink. The last room, the room the figure came out of, was a smaller bedroom that was issued to squad commanders. It was only big enough for a single bed, a small desk and a closet. But being separate from the rest of the sleeping area had more than one benefit. Yawning, he walked into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror, only to see the figure of a human with a black eye staring back.

"This really makes me look like one of them." Drake turned around and glanced at the Octolings that were sleeping in the bunks, before returning his attention to the mirror. "I guess I deserved it, but she might as well have blacked both if she was trying to give me an Inkling eye mask like hers..." He sighed and thought about how he ended up in this situation.

...

The previous night...

Drake had been chasing Callie through the Cephalon sector for the last several minutes. The area seemed dead, thanks to the sickly looking lake that couldn't have been more unhealthy. That made it all the more surprising when Callie came to a screeching halt, just short of an emergency access kettle. Drake had to slide to the right to avoid hitting her, and both of them kicked up a lot of loose soil.

"Callie, I'm glad you stopped, but what the hell?" He said as he regained both his breath and his balance.

"S-someone is coming," she said and backed up into him. A second later, several Octolings came down from long jumps. Reverting to their humanoid form, they all formed a circle around the duo, and raised their weapons.

"Alright, Inklings." The kelp wearing elite stepped forwards in front of the rest of the group. "Treaty or not, this is a restricted area. Don't even try to tell me you're here by mistake."

"Please, just leave us alone! Octavio already took everything from us. What more do you want? We-" Callie started to beg, but then they noticed that the Octolings were wearing standard issue army uniforms that had the combined Guardian and Mariner symbols on them, as opposed to the octopus symbol that Octavio's insurgency wore.

"Wait- wait. There's been a misunderstanding." Drake moved up to cover for Callie. "I can explain and-"

"Hold on." The elite looked them up from behind the goggles. "What are you two doing here? You were reported missing days ago."

"T-there's a reason for that." Drake looked over to Callie, who meekly nodded. "You she was-" Drake was about to come up with an excuse, when he saw the Octoling elite remove her goggles. Her exposed markings were not that of a purple or black eye ring, but a full blown black mask. Drake quickly stopped talking when he found himself in front of the one person he really did not want to face.

"I think you'd better start from the beginning," Kelly said while staring right at him. "And don't leave out why Otome is still no where to be found." Drake looked down, ashamed that he was about to lie to someone who was one of Otome's best friends.

"Kelly..." He made a deep sigh before he continued. "I think you'd better take us somewhere else, because this is a long story. And you aren't going to like it."

"I think I worked that part out myself, so get on with it before I take you in for trespassing, Drake. I'm not in the mood for games after getting chewed out over the subway line that you were supposed to help protect."

"I'm aware of what happened at the subway... and I do have a reason for that." He took another deep breath and started to explain to Kelly about how Callie had disappeared. Then he moved on to how he and Otome were captured, how Kirin had gotten involved, how Octavio was defeated. Then finally about how he had failed to save Otome and Callie from falling in the water. Once the story was done, Kelly tried to keep her calm, but her fists were starting to clench.

"So, she's really gone... the only one I could call my family.. is gone." Her fists were now balled up, and she had to force the forming tears back inside her.

"It's my fault! I should have-" Drake was unable to finish before Kelly slammed her right fist into the side of his face. The sounds of crackling bones could be heard, as he fell backwards from the recoil. He had forgotten that these creatures were stronger than they looked, since they were all muscle.

"I know.. that you would have done everything you could to save her.." Kelly shook her fist out, while Drake sat up.

"T-then why did you hit him!" Callie yelled at the hybrid elite that was still staring down the human.

"Because it's not something I can just accept!" Kelly snapped back, causing Callie to flinch. "I'm alone now... and I would have cut you open if you had left her to die." Kelly turned away, after taking a deep breath. "Now, I'm guessing you didn't come here to bring me the news..."

"No.. we didn't." Drake got back on his feet with Callie's help. "You see, I've been thrown out of the E.C.S. and she is no longer allowed in Inkopolis, so-"

"So you came here to find shelter?" Kelly finished for him. The two just nodded in response. "I suppose there might be a place for you.." Kelly made a gesture to the other Octolings that were with her. They all lowered their weapons, and started following the elite to the kettle that they were originally headed to. Callie started to follow, but Drake took her arm to stop her.

"Hold on a second." He fished something out of his gear pack, then handed her the 9mm handgun and ammo. "I think Otome would have wanted you to have this."

"I.. I.." She slowly reached out, and took them and strapped the holster to her side. "I.. think she would have." She slowly nodded, then looked up at him. "But I'm.. just borrowing this."

"Yeah. Just a rental." He nodded with her, then Kelly yelled at them from the kettle.

"You two coming, or what?"

"Best to not keep her waiting." Drake lead the way to the kettle, and Kellie's unit wasted no time in returning to the capital city with the tag along.

The Underground capital city hadn't changed much, since the human and squid sister had last visited. There was still a number of screens that were displaying a fake skybox along the walls. There was still a high number of foot traffic moving around the streets, and there was still the same duo of the Octarian version of the squid sisters doing the local news. "It feels more weird seeing them now, than it did back then.. back when we were still their competition," Callie said, while heading to Guardian Corps HQ.

"I bet... It never sat well with me, how they pushed you two away from what you did best," Drake responded.

"Y-yeah.. I thought it would be fun.. but..."

"Don't worry.. I'm sure we can fix this." Doing his best to comfort her, the human took her hand, as the Octolings escorted them away from the main plaza, and into the military defense building. Looking around, Drake saw that the HQ building was a lot busier than the last time they were here. Back then, Otome had been taking prisoner by the traitor Ophelia, who had most of the ground floor cleared out to avoid having witnesses. Though with the help of Callie and Marie, they were able to rescue her before harm could be done. Kelly wasted no time in taking them past the front desk, despite the protest of the front guard.

"A-are we being taken prisoner?" Callie asked, as they headed down another hallway.

"No.. Otome would haunt me if I did that." She stopped in her tracks. "But no one gets a free ride down here. Not even you two." She turned to face them. "And strange as this may sound, the best thing for you to do, would be join the Army."

"W-w-what?" Callie's eyes went wide when she heard the elite speak those words. Drake adjusted his autotranslator to make sure he heard right. "You want us to join the Octarian Army?"

"The Guardian Corps to be exact. I won't ask you to join the Mariners and have you participate in an offensive against your races." She nodded her head. "Unless you can convince the Octo sisters to let you into their gig, its the fastest way to get you work and a place to sleep. Besides, Otome would want me to keep an eye on you." She then lead them into one of the commander's offices, and retrieved some files. "Now, unit forty three has been out of commission for over a year, due to one being reassigned, one discharged and the other two put on project security. And now the squad leader is missing." Kelly took a deep breath before looking Drake in the eye. "I want you to take over Otome's duties as squad leader."

Drake looked over, and exchanged glances with Callie. "You want a human to lead a squad of Octoling soldiers? Kelly, I think you may need a vacation."

"I'm quite sober right now, I can assure you." She gave him a look that was dead serious. "And you can keep your current rank as Captain, though I will still be above you."

"What makes you think they will even listen to me?"

"They will if I tell them. Trust me on that." She then turned to Callie. "And she can be your Sargent."

"Okay, even if they listen to me, there's no way they will follow an Inkling-"

"The first thing you're gonna have to do, is stop questioning my decisions." Kelly waved her hand to cut him off. "I don't know how you humans did it, but that's not the way it works around here. Besides, she's agent one. I assume the one was for squad leader."

"N-no," Callie rapidly shook her head, causing one of her tentacles to almost hit Drake. "That was gra- er, the capn's thing. And Marie took over when he wasn't around."

"You'll learn." She finished writing down her notes, then handed both the original files and the hand written notes to Callie. "I've copied the personal files into Inkling for you, and you can read it to your captain when you get back to your room. Which, by the way, is room 242. I suggest you go there once we are done, to meet your new squad and get some rest. But first, we need to visit the quarter master." Kelly lead the way out of the office, and down to a room that was walled off with reinforced glass. Two elites sat at a desk that was surrounded with numerous weapon cases and lockers.

"Huh? An elder race?" The first elite looked up from the magazine she was reading with surprise. "What are-" She paused when she got a good look at Drake. "Wait... you...?"

"Err... Hi?" Drake was a little confused on how this elite recognized him. The only elite he was acquainted with besides Kelly, was Karumi from the Mariners. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"You.. You jerk!" She sat up. "Don't act like you don't remember this gorgeous girl from the bar!"

"What? Bar? But I don't even drink! Unless... that outdoor bar from two years ago?"

"Ha! I knew you couldn't forget me that easy!"

"You're the one that tried to get me drunk while hitting on me!" Drake took a step back on reflex.

"And I would have scored if it wasn't for that brat! Speaking of which, I don't see her today. Hey, my shift is almost over. Let's go hit the bar again! I'll show you some stuff that will blow your mind, and you won't find another elite as fine as me in the corps." She got up and leaned in, as if to illustrate the point. He had to admit that she was well built and had a more curved chest than any other oceanic he had seen so far. Her aggression, however, was more amusing than anything else.

"Yeah, my answer on that is still no." Drake shook his head.

"Oh, come on! Don't give me that-"

"Sargent Oriana. Do I have to remind you that you are still on punishment duty?" Kelly cut in to shut her up before an incident happened.

"Well never mind the fossil," the other elite said, who until now, had been leaning back with her boots resting on the desk. "What are you doing bringing a squid here?"

"H-hey!" Callie started to say, but Kelly raised a hand.

"These two are now part of the corps, and you will treat them as such. Now, I need a set of uniforms. One female, and one male of the largest size." Grumbling, the two elites got up, and fished the gear from a set of lockers. They handed them through the opening on the front window, and Kelly passed them out to the two. With a gloomy expression, Callie took hers into the changing room, while Drake simply held his up.

"Uh, yeah. Not happening." He put his back down on the table in front of the window.

"Captain, just because you were my best friend's lover, doesn't mean that you will be getting-"

"No, I mean, this isn't happening. Even if this fits, which I doubt, it will lower my mobility, not to mention my concentration because of how tight it will be. And it offers less protection than my Kevlar. Trust me, I'm better off in my Edef armor. It's not like anyone is going to have trouble knowing what side I'm on, since I highly doubt you have another human in you're ranks." Kelly stared at Drake when he finished, before sighing.

"I guess you have a point. Fine, never mind the male uniform." She slid it back through the glass, as Callie came back out wearing the Octoling armor, pants, neo goggles and boots. Her golden eyes seemed to glow behind the tint.

"H-how do I look?" She nervously asked. Drake looked her over, sizing up how the black and magenta tentacled inkling looked in Octarian uniform.

"Well.. uh.." he paused, trying to find the correct words to not offend her. "It's certainly better than the cloths Octavio made you wear."

"I..." Callie looked down. "I look weird.. don't I?"

"No, no. I mean, it doesn't compare to your old outfits, but it has a certain appeal to it."

"R-really?" She looked back up to his blue eyes.

"Yeah.. It goes with your tentacles, at least. You look fine."

"T-thank you." She gave him a slight smile, and he internally sighed with relief.

"Okay, okay. Enough of that," Kelly said to get their attention. "Now you just need weapons." She held out a pair of Octoshots to them. Both Drake and Callie took them, then shot each other a nervous glance.

"Uhh... I can't use this-" Drake started to say, but Kelly cut him off.

"I'm aware. I also know that you don't exactly have unlimited ammo with that thing you're carrying."

"I took as much as I could carry-"

"And you can't exactly get more, can you?" She shook her head. "Just keep that with you as a back up, and I'll have someone bring some pre filled tanks for it." She then turned to Callie. "As for you-"

"I would.. prefer to keep my roller." She held out her Type-H. "I'm not very good with ink shooters."

"I know. But army regulations state you have to be certified to wield anything else." She took the roller from Callie. "I'll try to get you enlisted in weapons training as soon as I can, so that you can have this back. But until then, that Octoshot is your new lifeline."

"I.. Okay.. but please hurry." She looked at her precious roller, that was gifted to her by someone important.

"That's all for now. I suggest you rest up, as you will likely be given an assignment in the morning. Your room is on the second floor." Kelly turned away to head back to the main hall, but stopped. "And Drake... there's someone in your squad that you will need to break the news about Otome too.. I think you know who I mean." She headed down the hall, and was soon out of site. The two started to head to the stairs, but not before Oriana in the weapons room called out to them.

"My shift ends in an hour! Come and go out with me!"

"You leave him alone!" Callie yelled back, and pulled him up the stairs.

"Desperate much?" Drake sighed as they walked, but then remembered what Kelly said. "Oh hell.. I think I know exactly who Kelly was talking about." Drake said with a sigh. Callie went pale, and raised a hand to her face.

"Poor Yako..." Callie looked down at the team roster, and in fact, saw that a Corporal Yako Maroon was first on the list. "How are we ever going to tell the sweetheart? It will break her... Drake, we can't-"

"I know.. but keeping her in the dark isn't gonna help either. She's bound to hear things. Hell, she probably already has." They headed up the stairs, as they racked their brains for an answer. It ended up being no use, and they soon found themselves at room 242. "Well.. I'm fresh out of ideas... too bad I don't have a plush or something." They were about to approach and open the door, when it was opened from the inside and a female Octoling stepped out. She stopped when she saw the two in front of the door.

"Drake...? Callie? What are you two doing here?" She looked surprised to see them, but the human and Octoling in question were confused.

"I-I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Drake and Callie glanced at the dossiers to figure out who was addressing them, as there was no way this Octoling that was an inch or two taller than Otome could be Yako.

"W-wha? You guys don't recognize me?" She made a face that looked as if she was about to cry. "After all the playing we did with sis?"

"Y-yako! No way!" Callie looked like her head was going to explode. The Octoling in question, also had thick bright red tentacles, as opposed to the more juvenile ones she had before. Her chest had also grown to almost the size of Oriana's."

"Talk about a growth spur. Forget the plush, a bra would be more appropriate," the equally shocked Drake said.

"H-huh?" Yako looked at him with a confused expression.

"N-nothing. It's nice to see you again, kid." He started to raise his hand up, but paused. 'I hope this isn't inappropriate, now,' he thought to himself, and lowered his hand to her head. He started to give her a head rub, along the top of her tentacles. To his relief, she cracked a smile. Then she leaned into him, and he rubbed her more. If she was a cat, she would have been purring loudly.

"Eheh... I missed that," she said with a content sigh. Callie smiled at the two. After several minutes of this, she pulled away from the head rub, and her face went serious. "But... Drake.. I've been hearing rumors lately. Please tell me. Where is my sister?" Drake and Callie both exchanged glances. "Please.. you're her boyfriend!"

"Listen.. Yako.. I.." Drake was internally panicking on how to find the right works for the younger Octoling sister. "About Otome.. you see, we-"

"We got separated from her," Callie quickly cut in, when she saw him struggling. "We got into some trouble with Octavio, and she saved my life! We lost track of her after that, but I'm sure she'll turn up soon!"

"What? Octavio again?!" She narrowed her eyes, and bared her teeth with obvious disdain for that name.

"Y-yeah! But we punished him for you!" She quickly continued, trying not to show any negative emotion towards Yako.

"Good. He already hurt sis once," she responded with a hiss. Realizing what she was doing, she took a step back. "Sorry! I'm just worried about her."

"Nono, it's okay Yako," Drake waved his hand in dismissal. "I should be apologizing to you for losing track of her."

"I'm sure we'll find her, or some clues soon," Callie added.

"Thanks, you two." Having calmed down a bit, Yako returned to her normal self in no time. "So what are yah doing here? Did you really come to see me?"

"Ahah, sorry Yako, but.. no." Drake took a deep breath and was about to continue, when Yako finally noticed that Callie was wearing the same armor and uniform that she was wearing. Her eyes went wide in surprise.

"Wait, holy crap! Callie, what are you doing in our uniform?"

"I.. uh, hehe.. I'm joining up with Drake," she responded and forced a smile.

"Woah! Really?" Her eyes went even wider, which seemed to stretch her purple eye rings. "This is gonna be awesome!" She jumped up, which caused her recent growths to shake in their faces. "Oh! Oh! Are you guys on my team?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm the new squad leader, and she's my second."

"What? I'm supposed to be the second." Yako pouted with a brief frown, but it quickly went away. "Ah, who cares! You gotta come in and meet my squadmate!" She grabbed Callie's hand, and pulled her inside the room, who was followed by Drake after she latched on to him. Yako lead the way into the main room.

"Yako, what is all the noise?" Another female that sounded older than Yako, rose up from one of the bunks on the far side. She had dark red tentacles, light brown skin and purple eye rings that were almost as thick as an Inkling's eye mask, which circled around green eyes. "Oh, did you make new friends? Well big sis is proud of you-"

"You ain't my big sis, Octomarin." Yako stuck her tongue out the other female.

"Oh, but I'm everyone's big sis," she said with a wide grin. "So, who are the fresh meat?" Octomarin looked the two over, and wore an impressed look. "Well well, how did you find an elder race man, and one of our favorite Inkling celebrities? And wearing the uniform too."

"That's Drake and Callie. They're my friends, and they are taking over as leader and second. So lay off em, will yah?" Yako responded.

"Now now." Octomarin leaned forward to shake their hands. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine. I'm private Octomarin Sachi, and I use the Octobrush."

"Nice to meet you." Callie returned the handshake. "But is it just you two? The file thingy said there were supposed to be four."

"Nope. Just me and little sis Yako." She pulled Yako over, which made her roll her eyes.

"Not cool when you do it, Octomarin." She wasted no time in prying herself off.

"But it says there should be a private Shen Cornell.." Callie glanced down at the page again, and red the names for Octomarin and Drake. "Shen, the heavy weapons expert and pilot, and a sniper named.. Kora Nereid."

"Are you sure they didn't step out, or something?" Drake asked, but before either of them could answer, there was a knock from the front door. Since they were the closest, Drake went to answer it, followed by Callie. Outside, two more uniformed Octolings stood at the door. One male, and one female.

"What the- a fossil and an Inkling? This can't be the right damn room." The male looked at the door to double check the number, then looked back at them. He was tall, and his four tentacles were tied behind his head and straightened out into a long spike like style. The rings that surrounded his orange eyes were black, which told them he had spend some time on the surface before passing the age where the eyes became less sensitive. He was carrying a reverse engineered Octoblaster. "This is... unit 43's room.. right?"

"Calm down, Shen. We're in the right place." The female put a hand on his shoulder. The girl was a bit shorter, but looked to be about Yako's age. She had blue eyes with normal purple rings, and was well formed. The girl was armed with a reverse engineered Octoling charger. She wore a gentile expression on her face, and felt familiar to the Inkling and human. Something that was confirmed when she spoke her next words. "It is nice to see you again, Magenta and Enigma."

"Wait, WAAAIIT!" Callie rose her hands in surprise, then pointed. "I know you! You were that Octoling that stuck with us when we were being forced to do Octavio's dirty work! The lead singer of Turquoise October!'"

"Hold, on. Octavio? You never said you were apart of his crew." Shen said to the female with a growl, and Callie stepped in front of him.

"Hey, that's my friend you're talking too! We weren't there by choice!"

"Alright, that's enough." Drake stepped in and pulled them apart. "That mess is in the past, and I'd better not see any fighting over that jack ass Octavio, you understand me?"

"O-oops. Sorry." Callie quickly apologized, while Shen just grunted an acknowledgement.

"Now, I assume you two are Shen Cornell and Kora Nereid?" Drake asked to change the subject.

"Yeah, that's us.." Shen answered.

"Well, suppose we all start over here. I'm Drake Von Kaufmann, your new Captain, and that's Callie, my second."

"Nice to meet you again. And to know your real names." Kora bowed to them.

"Yeah! I'm happy you're okay after all that," Callie said with a pleased tone.

"And those two are Corporal Yako Maroon, and-"

"Big sis Octomarin," the older Octoling finished for him. Yako just gave them a goofy looking peace sign. Kora gave her a smile, while Shen let out an audible sigh.

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but we're kinda beet. You mind letting us crash, Captain?" Shen asked. As if on cue, Callie also let out a big yawn.

"He's right. We should all hit the sack. We'll be getting our new orders in the morning," Drake nodded in agreement.

"Joy..." Shen went over to the nearest bunk and plopped down, not bothering to change out of his uniform. Having been dismissed, the other girls started taking turns changing into nightwear in the bathroom. Drake wasted no time in moving into the nearby commander's loft that Octomarin pointed out. After setting his stuff down on top of the desk, he was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue. He was about to do the same thing as Shen, and just collapse on the bed, but a voice from behind stopped him right before he could plop down.

"D-drake?" He turned to the voice, and saw Callie back in her casuals.

"Yeah, Callie?" She walked up to him, and put her arms around the human. He somehow was able to rally enough energy to put his around the magenta Inkling, and return the hug.

"Good night, Drake." She separated from the human.

"Good night, Callie." She gave him a soft smile, and headed out of the small room. Drake turned, and barely got his armor off, before collapsing on the bed.

...

Current day...

After cleaning himself up in the bathroom, Drake headed back to his personal room. He covered as much of his face as he could with the helmet and tactical goggles to hide the black eye, before grabbing the rest of his gear, and heading back to the main room. The rest of the Octolings were now awake, and taking turns changing into their uniforms. He looked around, but saw that his second was still missing.

"Shu neg menhi navali? Seg, lan vough kamin." Drake could here one of them say. He remembered the autotran was off, and quickly flicked it on.

"Has anyone seen Callie?" Drake asked.

"Morning to you too, Captain." Octomarin said with a yawn. "She got up just before you did, and looked hungry, so I sent her to the mess hall. Oh, and by the way, we all eat on the first floor. It's right next to the male showers. And before you get any ideas, the female baths are next to the armory."

"Cute, but I think it's a little too early for those kind of jokes. I just want something to eat."

"Then, you'd better get going. We'll be down to join you, once everyone is finished making themselves look pretty." Rolling his eyes, Drake headed down stairs. After asking for directions from a grouchy looking Octostriker, Drake eventually found the cafeteria, which looked a lot like the one at Eden. After making his way through the line, he ignored the gibberish menu, and went right for the server.

"So, I can't read this menu. What do you recommend for a new comer?" The human asked, as the Older looking Octoling looked up at him.

"Elder race, huh? I guess the rumor was true. Well, if you aren't used to our food, we just got some fresh salmon."

"My last choice of fish, but that will do. Give me an extra helping, if that isn't too much trouble." After serving up his order, Drake looked around for where Callie had set up, ignoring Oriana, who was waving at him to get him to come sit with her. However, it was Callie that found him, and came running up. He almost lost his breakfast, as Callie pulled him to the other side of the room, where a T.V. was set up.

"Drake, have you heard?" She asked when she finally let go of him.

"Heard what? I just got up, Callie. I was about to eat.." Despite his words, he was shoveling fish in, while Callie talked to him.

"It's Emperor, Octurus. H-he-"

"It has been confirmed that the emperor was indeed assassinated," a stern voice said from the T.V. Drake looked over, and saw the Octo sisters had grave expressions on their face, in place of their usual playful attitudes. "The emperors aids, along with his son, Octarias, confirmed the news this morning."

"Yeah, and Octarias made an official statement minutes ago," the other Octo sister said. "See for yourselves." The screen changed to a recording of Octarias addressing a news crew.

"My father's strong will and desire for a world of co existence will be missed," Octarias started. "However, I am not my father, and the world he dreamed of will have to wait. I vow to do everything in my power to bring his killers to justice. And right now, all evidence points to Inkling marauders. We don't know yet if these terrorist are connected to the government or not, but the chancellor has yet to show any signs of cooperation with us. Until they are willing to give up my father's killers, I have no choice but to recent the treaty of 2019 O.S.C. and if my inquiries continue to be ignored, I will declare a state of war on our neighbors topside."

"Oh my goodness.." Callie looked like she was about to faint. "H-he can't be serious." Drake put her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know.. The Inklings wouldn't betray us so easily." The first Octosister said, after the recording ended.

"You're just saying that because you think they're cute."

"Says the one who fancies the elder race. I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Well, maybe war is a bit extreme, but I agree with Octarias. Our great emperors killers must pay," the second said with a sigh. "But in happier news, our soon to be emperor has finally announced his engagement."

"Wait, what? You mean he actually moved on after bothering her for so long? Why now?" Drake said, while he looked at the T.V. with a shocked look, glad he didn't have to make the shivering Callie translate electronics for him anymore.

"Oh, that's right. He hasn't made his choice of bride public yet, but we were able to get a picture of him with his bride to be. Let's see who the lucky girl is." The screen changed to a blown up photograph. Both Callie and Drake went stiff and wide eyed when they saw who was standing next to Octarias, holding his hand.

"WHAAAAAAT? SIIIIIIIIS?" A screaming voice from behind said, that got the attention of the entire mess hall. Yako and the rest of the squad were standing behind them, with said corporal looking like she was going to faint. Drake took another look at the photo.

"Drake..." Callie started to say when she was the first to recover. "It.. it can't be? can it? Why? Why didn't she tell us? Why would she marry him?" Drake was too busy staring to even hear her.

"O.. to.. me..?"


	11. 2.2 - First Wave

The Guardian Corps cafeteria had gone completely silent. Many were just trying to figure out the source behind the screaming Yako, but for those that had known Lieutenant Otome Maroon, they were shocked to see her holding the hand of the soon to be emperor, despite it being known she harbored no feelings for him, and throwing away a potential life of Luxury. Especially since she was the first Octarian, or any oceanic to date a member from the mysterious elder race. Something that many envied.

"Captain! Sargent! My Office! Now!" The crowd parted ways to reveal an enraged Kelly, that managed to even drown out Yako. Not wanting to test her, Callie and Drake followed Kelly out of the cafeteria, after returning their trays. After passing the armory, she took them right to her office, and slammed the door behind her, not noticing Yako following through in her octo form. The livid Octoling turned to them, and slammed her fist down on her desk, causing a few artifacts to rattle in place. "I'm only going to ask this once. DID YOU TWO KNOW ABOUT THIS?!" She pointed to her own monitor, which was paused at the image of Otome with Octarias.

"Kelly, I swear that this is just as news to me as it is to you. I didn't even know she was still alive, let alone with Octarias," Drake responded while trying to keep a calm face. Kelly then looked over to Callie.

"I-I saw her go over the water fall and everything. I'm really happy to see that she survived, but I didn't know either! She's one of my best friends! I thought she'd tell us!"

"Looks like you really didn't know," Kelly sighed, and her anger seemed to vent out of her. She took a seat, then took a drink from a canteen that Drake assumed contained something besides water. "But why is she with Octarias? She always hated his advances and the fact that her parents promised her to him the moment he showed interest in her." She paused, and gave Drake a suspicious look. "Unless you did something that hurt her enough to leave you for the likes of him."

"Are you kidding me? We've had a few differences of opinion here and there, but I'd remember if I did something bad enough to cause her to leave me. Especially since the last time I saw her... her last words to me were.."

"Hey! Sis was totally happy with him!" Yako interrupted after coming out of her hiding spot.

"Corporal Maroon, I don't recall inviting you to my-"

"This is my sister we're talking about!" Yako shouted back, making Kelly wince. "She was totally giddy after he accepted her feelings. And she spent less time with me, because she was always saying that they had to take all the time they could get to be together, thanks to Octarias' influence!"

"I can confirm that... it's why we had to pretend that we had broken up.." Drake added with a sigh.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Kelly interrupted, then glanced between Drake and Callie. "For example, you two have been pretty close-"

"How dare you!" Callie yelled in a way that was unlike her. Though, Drake was surprised at the fact that she was the first to figure out what Kelly was suggesting. "I'd never do anything to hurt Otome! Even if I love-"

"And besides, we're both virgins," Drake cut in to keep Callie from saying anything that might make it worse. Kelly sighed in resignation at that statement.

"Not many males will willingly admit to that..." She walked over to the desk and slumped down in the chair. "I'm... sorry.. you two." She then leaned over and buried her face in her hands. "This.. this isn't like me."

"I- I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled..." Callie said, looking regretful over her behavior.

"Yeah, let's all make up. We all want to get sis back," Yako said, in a rare sign of maturity from her.

"look... Just.. I'll do what I can to find out why she's doing this. Octarias must have said or done something.. and I'm sure she will talk to me." She leaned back up, looking between the human, Inkling and Octoling. "Just.. if you can think of anything that might help, please tell me." They all nodded in agreement, and Kelly got up to retrieve a small file. "But in the meantime, I have your new assignments for you."

"Yeah, you mentioned something about that yesterday," Drake responded.

"Well, this is a last minute change." She handed her notes to Callie. "Since Octarias sounds serious about declaring war... I'm reassigning you to the salmonid division." Callie and Yako looked unnerved at what she said, but the human looked even more confused, especially after gauging their reactions.

"So... you're having us fish?"

"I said salmonid, not salmon." Kelly shook her head. "And no, I don't mean the stuff you had for breakfast. The salmonids are partially evolved, but are savage and have limited intelligence."

"So... pest control then?" Drake still hadn't grasped the severity of what Kelly was assigning them too.

"If that's how you want to look at it. But don't take this lightly. You'll have some regulars attached to your unit. Trust me, make sure you're head is in the game."

...

Several miles off the coast of Inkopolis' Port mackerel, lies a fairly sized island. On this island, stood a small fishing community, known as Gale front. It was a small and quiet town, and not where one would usually find someone wearing a replica army uniform. But even for someone wearing combat gear, here they could find time to enjoy an outdoor meal. Sitting under a tree, sat an orange tentacled girl, who having just finished her meal, was knitting a large black cloth.

"I still can't believe we found our target here, of all places," she said. Then she looked down at the blue tentacled boy, who was laying his head in her lap while she knitted. He wore the same uniform as her, both outdated versions that were used two years prior.

"It's turning out to be a good vacation spot, though. Since she didn't want to fight and all," the boy responded and opened his once closed eyes.

"Gale front really is a nice little town, but I don't think I would want to live here. That Octoling showing up was probably the only thing that's happened here in years."

"I'm just surprised you didn't try to splat her anyway-" the male started to say, but the female put a finger down on his forehead, then gave it a hard flick. "Ow!" he jerked his head up off of the female's lap. "What was that for?!"

"Two years, Levin, and you still find it funny to be a wise guy."

"Hey, you know you love it, Shara! You'd totally miss me if I went away," Levin responded, giving her a teasing look.

"Oh, you want to test that, tough guy?" Shara rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, I do. I know my girl." Levin reached out to touch her face, but she grabbed a hold of his arm. She then quickly flipped him over into a roll. He yelped loudly, as the two tumbled out from under the tree. When he was on his back, she straddled his stomach, and brought her face close to his.

"You're a lucky boy, Levin. Because you're right." She brought her hands to the side of his face, then lowered hers to his. The two locked lips, as Shara kissed him deeply. When the two separated moments later, Levin gazed into her yellow eyes, as the sun illuminated her orange tentacles.

"Maybe so, but I think I proved myself."

"Yeah, you did." The two locked lips again for several seconds, then Levin reached up to touch her ears. He gently caressed the area around the tips, and she slowly leaned up. "S-stop... d-dork.. th-that-"

"And I know what my girl likes." He continued to gently rub her, until a coughing sound behind them caused both of them to freeze up.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something, buckos." They looked over, and saw Cap'n Cuttlefish standing under the tree that they had just rolled out from under. Yelping, Shara quickly jumped off Levin, almost kneeing him somewhere that would have caused him to stay on the ground. Levin quickly pushed himself out from under her, and stood up alongside Shara.

"It's nothing, Cap'n. We were just having a picnic," Shara responded, brushing some dirt off of her uniform. The two stood at attention in front of the old Squidbeak leader. Having finally been convinced by his grand daughters to ditch what was left of his tattered old uniform, he now wore a white cap with glasses, a green sweater with his old medals pinned on, and some new gray shoes.

"Aye, I hope so, lad. Yah be too young to be playing whoopie already," Cuttlefish responded.

"Give us a break, Cap'n! We're both adults and we've only-" Levin started to say, but Shara slammed her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up, dork! He doesn't need to know details of what we have or haven't done!" Levin started to protest with muffled words, but a glare from Shara shut him up. "Anyway, did you need something, captain?"

"Aye, I finished talking to the locals, and I think it would be a waste of time trying to pry her away from here. She's been one heck of a fisherman, and 'er husband ain't gonna let her go with out a fight. Especially having a little one of there own."

"Yeah, that was crazy to see that a Mariner officer would have a kid with an Inkling," Levin said when Shara finally removed her hand from his face. "Wouldn't have even guessed that was possible, if we hadn't met Kelly already."

"Who..?" Cuttlefish gave the blue boy a blank look.

"Uh, Kelly? You know, Otome's friend?" Cuttlefish continued to give him a confused look.

"Never mind," Shara said, shaking her head. "You're memory is really starting to slip captain. Maybe you'd better actually retire completely-"

"Not until the Octo-jerk threat from Octavio is gone for good." The old squid gave her a glare from behind the glasses. "But in any case, I'm giving the lass a full pardon."

"So we came all this way for nothing.. again," Levin sighed. "Maybe we should have stayed retired.."

"Quit your bellyaching, bucko. We're almost done. See?" Captain Cuttlefish held up his notebook for them to see.

List of known top officers loyal to Octavio:

Colonel Shino Kumi - Octavio's second in command, and most loyal officer. Orchestrated numerous war crimes against all races, including other Octarians. - Status: K.I.A. Colonel Kumi was killed during the chaos rebellion, by guardian corps officer Lieutenant Kelly Scylls.

Major Vassili Krukov - Lead defense officer, and has caused numerous deaths from the use of nefarious traps, and responsible for the death of Agent 5. - Status: K.I.A. Was tracked down to a remote outpost by agents 3 and 4, but refused to surrender. Agents had no choice but to eliminate him.

Admiral Cera Tama - Leader of the airship fleet, and commander of the Leviathan flagship. Major player in the theft of the great zapfish. Status: K.I.A. Confirmed to have died in the Leviathan's crash during the battle of Octovally.

Captain Richter Braun - Head Octostriker and commander of the regulars. Directly responsible for the deaths of numerous Inklings and loyalist Octarians during the Chaos rebellion. Status - K.I.A Tracked down and eliminated by agents 3 and 4 after seen trying to start a syndicate.

Captain Tami Osaka - Head of the Mariner engineering corps, and creator of some of the more modern robotic weapons. - Status: Apprehended. Subject was tracked down to the outskirts of Calamari County, and arrested by agents 3 and 4 after admitting to creating new great octo-weapons.

Captain Kirino Octomack (now Kirino Tilapia) - Head of the supply unit. No known war crimes, besides aiding Octavio. - Status - Immune. Subject no longer deemed a threat.

Lieutenant Karumi Cinnabar - Head of the elites. Was responsible for the attack on Kelp Dome and injuring Agent 3, 2 years ago. Status - Immune. Karumi is now working for Emperor Octurus.

Lieutenant Axel Siber - Head of Octavio's body guards. Directly responsible for injuring Agent 3 two years ago. Status - Missing. Was confirmed to be aboard the Leviathan, but reported to have escaped before the crash. The youngest officer in Octavio's employ.

Sargent Octoria Carmine - Leader of the intelligence unit. Reported to have severely mistreated prisoners. Status - K.I.A. Killed by the human, Drake Von Kaufmann, who was defending Corporal Otome Maroon and Agent 5 (K.I.A.) from her.

Corporal Marina Ida. - Formerly part of the supply unit, before being moved to the engineering corps. While not an officer, Corporal Ida is a person of interest, due to having developed the flooders and other robots. Reported by Kirino Octomack as a child prodigy. Status - Missing. Confirmed to have escaped the Leviathan crash 2 years ago.

"So we're down to just Siber and that Ida chick?" Levin said, as he looked up from the notebook. That's awesome. This "research trip" has been taking way longer than it was supposed to."

"Aye, and we'd best head back to me shack. I get the feeling the last two will be closer to home, anyway," Cuttlefish nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again," Shara added.

"And I can't wait to see who these new Off the Hook idols are. I missed their debut because of the trip, and Frost said they're pretty good. Not as good as the squid sisters, of course."

"Those two are something special," Cuttlefish said, with a nostalgic face. "Reckon there will never be a pair like my grand squids again. Speaking of which, I bet they missed me. Hope they didn't worry too much about dinner while I was gone.." Cuttlefish started to head back to the pier, where the next boat to Inkopolis was scheduled to leave soon. Levin was about to follow him, when Shara grabbed his sleeve.

"What's up? I thought you were looking forward to your bed?"

"I am, and before you make any perverted jokes.." She held up the cloth that she had been knitting. "It's finished. I-I hope you like it." She nervously handed it to him, and Levin held it up, revealing it to be a cape with a large 3 knitted into it.

"Oh, this is pretty cool!" Levin wrapped the top around his neck, and let the rest hang down his back."Why a 3 though? I thought that was Neptune's job now."

"You were the original three, and she can have her old number back. Especially now that we're dragged back in," Shara responded.

"So.. How does it look on me?"

"It looks like it fits.. thankfully," Shara sighed with relief, seeing that the blue squid was happy with his gift. "That's the first time I've knitted something that big."

"Well it's awesome. Thanks Shara." Levin took her hand. "I love you."

"I love you too, Levin. I just wanted to show you that.. even if you piss me off sometimes." The two were about to lean in for another kiss, when a voice yelled from the docks.

"What's the hold up, Bucko's? I'm hungry for crabby cakes!" Blushing, the two headed back to Inkopolis, hand in hand. It would have been a pleasant trip home, if not for Cuttlefish testing his new rap hobby.

...

In the airships storage bay, Drake was crammed between the attached regular unit Octarians. Lining the storage room with the human, were 6 Octotroopers with assault platforms, and two twintacles that were equipped with the newer high speed models that were fresh out of the science division. Along side them, were two octobombers, an Octosniper and a pair of Octocopters. They all looked around nervously, as the airship descended towards their objective.

"One minute till we're in position over the spawning grounds, fearless leader," Shen said over the communicator. The aircraft jolted several times, knocking everyone around a little.

"Get all the Octolings into jumping positions. That includes you, Shen. Have one of the crewmen take over, then lower the ramp once we're low enough." Several seconds later, the sounds of the Octolings and Inkling doing long jumps off the side of the ship could be heard. Then, the craft came to a halt, and the ramp was lowered. The Octotroopers were first out, followed by Drake. The bombers followed out in the rear, doing slow strides, until they were out far enough to get airborne.

"What is this place?" Callie asked, once everyone was clear of the airship, which was now moving to a safe distance.

"Salmonids use this place as a breeding ground," Octomarin replied. The group of Octolings took a moment to look around the tiny island. It consisted of a small dock, and an old loading and unloading area that was surrounded by metal cat walks. "They usually stay under water for their.. spawning, but the little turds are territorial as all hell."

"Then why bother coming here? This tiny ass island is of no use to the army," Shen complained.

"I'm guessing we were sent here to keep their numbers down, if this is just a spawning area," Kora chimed in. "They're dangerous if left unchecked. Octavio found that out the hard way."

"You'll have to give me that story when we get back." Drake turned to face the others. "Alright, Callie, you take Shen and Kora, and cover the loading area. Yako and Octomarin will come with me to watch the docks. Each group take 3 troopers, a twintacle, and a bomber. The sniper will stay in the center, and the copters will fly recon for us. Everyone got that?"

"Lucky us," Shen grumbled. Kora helped Callie gather her team, and they headed for the catwalks. Drake took his team to watch over the docks. They set up just under a large rectangular platform that the Octosniper had perched on. The Octocopters took flight, and began patrolling the shores for any signs of intruders. So far, the waters looked calm.

"What is it with that guy?" Drake mumbled.

"Just because someone is in the Guardian Corps, doesn't mean they accept Inklings," Octomarin said, and stood next to him. "Some of us feel going to war and dying or watching our families die, is worse than making nice with an enemy we were drilled to hate since childhood. An enemy that caused us to have to live in an underground stink hole. Same goes for the Mariners. Not all of them are eager to lay waste to the surface dwellers."

"Oh?" Drake turned to look at her. "I know where Yako and Kora stand, but what about you? Where do you stand, Octomarin?"

"Who, little old me?" She grinned at him. "I can't say I like them, but I don't harbor any Ill will. I'll follow you and the sarge, if that's what you're worried about." She clapped him on the back. Drake was about to respond, when the Octocopter that was patrolling the docks, came racing back to them.

"Captain! Movement by the docks!"

"That's our cue!" Drake yelled. Octomarin and Yako got behind Drake, as they slowly approached to get a better view. At the edge of the pier, they could see large ripples forming in the water. A few seconds later, a large fish like creature emerged. It was brown, had large bulging yellow-green eyes, and orange fins. Its underside was a dark green, and it seemed to be propelling itself with its tail, leaving a trail of green goo.

"Now these things, I'm all too happy to splat," Octomarin said, as she raised her brush.

"That's a salmonid?" Drake looked a little perplexed, while watching it through his rifle sights. "That's not what I was expecting."

"Looks like a fishy to me," Yako chimed in. Suddenly, the salmonid stopped, and gazed up at them. It then raised its fin, and made sounds that sounded like someone gargling.

"What the hell kinda sound was that?" Drake smacked his auto translator a few times, as for him it was also static filled.

"Their language is something we've never been able to get a hold of... Get ready, because we're about to get real busy!" More ripples were seen, and a wave of salmonid chum came flooding out.

"Whawha?" The wide eyed Yako took a step back in surprise at the number of salmonids coming out of the water, all of them carrying a variety of blunt weapons and knives that were coated in the same green gel.

"Salmonids at the loading bay!" The other Octocopter yelled.

"Great... Callie, make sure your team keeps them away from the center." Drake said over the communicator. "Time to go to work, you two. Troopers, cover us!" Drake moved to the left to get a better angle on the hoard, then raised his rifle. A loud crack later, and the salmonid that had summoned the others, fell to the side with green gel leaking out of its head.

"Stay behind me, Yako." Octomarin lowered her brush to the ground, and charged forward, creating an ink line that Yako followed in her squid form. She drew a line past the front part of the chum wave, then swung her brush like mad. The front two salmonids were splatted on the spot from all the ink being flung, while several others backed up to avoid their fate. Yako took the opportunity to hurl a bomb into the center of the group of inked salmonids, killing 5 more with ease.

"Troopers, move in!" Drake yelled, who then took a shot at the rear most chum to cause confusion in their lines. The three troopers and twintacle moved in to support Octomarin and Yako on their assault platforms. A large stream of ink balls were sent flying towards the remaining line of salmonids, splatting several, and coating the rest in ink. The Octobomber made a pass at the line, splatting several more with a pair of dropped splat bombs, causing the rest to scatter.

"Ha! They ain't so tough!" Yako and Octomarin moved in to finish off the stragglers.

"More salmonids coming in from the left dock!" One of the copters yelled. After shooting another salmonid, Drake turned to see several more fish coming up the far dock. This time, they had a couple of larger salmonids with them.

"Ah, crap. Cohocks," Octomarin said, once the first line was clear. "These guys pack a wallop, and are harder to kill."

"Oh really? Let's see how they do against a bullet." Drake lined up his sights with the lead cohock's head, and pulled the trigger. The shot hit the fish in the head, but after recovering from the recoil, continued to make it's way towards the group. "What the.. no friggin' way." Drake continued to put out rounds, but it took another four shots to the head to bring the beast down. He dropped the empty magazine, to swap in a fresh one. "You weren't kidding."

"Told you. How do you want to handle this?" Octomarin said, while she and Yako refilled their ink tanks.

"Hmmm..." Drake took a look at his surroundings. "Let them come."

"Say what?"

"Let them come," He repeated. A second later, it became apparent why. A laser sight from the octosniper locked on to one of the cohocks, and a stream of ink followed, completely coating the salmonid. Drake raised his rifle again, and this time a single shot was all it took to finished the creature off. "Yeah, much easier." He repeated the process on another cohock, after the sniper fired again.

"Ha! You're not having all the fun!" Yako said, who started lobbing bombs at the few remaining cohocks. After Octomarin joined the fray, the last of the salmonids were finished off in a matter of seconds.

"Huh.. that wasn't too bad." Drake said, cleaning a bit of gel from his boots.

"Yeah, that was a pretty light attack for them... I guess those were just the early birds," Octomarin shrugged. Drake started heading over to where the two Octolings were.

"Well it went quiet from Callie's side, so lets go see how they did- ack!" Drake suddenly stumbled, having got his foot caught up on some debris. He managed to catch his balance, and avoided doing a face plant into the left over salmonid gel. "Damn piece of, wait what the hell?" He bent over to see what he tripped on. Below his feet, was an orange cylindrical canister. The container was broken, and the contents had spilled out some time ago, but a blue green liquid had appeared to have dried on where the nozzle used to be.

"Looks like this was a dumping ground for toxic material," Octomarin said. "You okay Captain?"

"I'm fine, but.. I don't know. This stuff doesn't look like your average waste."

"Well, I think I know where it came from. Take a look over there." Octomarin pointed to another small island, near the spawning ground. Another airship appeared to have crashed, and was on its side. Drake took out his binoculars to have a better look, along with Octomarin and Yako.

"Looks like it's been there for a while.. the cargo is all over the place.. and I see more of those canisters. No signs of the crew, though."

"Some dope probably got careless. Something our last pilot would have done. Remind me to tell you about how he almost wrecked a human underwater boat while we were still inside, Octomarin," Yako commented.

"I see some blue stuff leaking out of one of the canisters.. it must have rusted open."

"Good eye, Octomarin." Drake lowered the binoculars, then turned back to the canister by his feet. "Now that I think of it.. I've seen this light blue crap before... could it.. no.. how could the mutagen get all the way out here in an Octarian transport? Unless..." Before Drake could gather his thoughts, his communicator lit up from a call from Callie.

"Drake! Come quick! Something big is coming out of the water!"

"We're on our way! Troopers, stay here and keep an eye on the area. Yako, Octomarin! On me!" Drake took the too Octolings to the catwalks that overlooked the shoreline under the loading bay. Callie, Shen and Kora were backing away from what looked like a large Metallic salmonid that was coming from the water, and it was slowly moving in on her squad.

"What the hell is that? Some kinda Megazord?" Drake raised his rifle, and saw Kora get off a shot from her charger, which seemed to simply bounce off the hull. He squeezed the trigger, and the discharged round ricocheted off the armor and into the sand.

"I don't know.. I've never seen this before.. That thing is a machine.. they shouldn't have this kind of technology.." Octomarin stood stunned. It continued to slowly move forward, but then suddenly let out a roar, and a large bomb formed over its head that was rapidly filling with ink. It launched it to the group a second later.

"Clear out! Get away from there!" Drake yelled. Kora grabbed Callie and dove away, while Shen swam back in his octo form. One of the troopers wasn't so lucky, and wasn't able to get away from the bomb before it burst, splatting him completely. Even the assault platform had been vaporized when the ink cleared. "Sonovabitch! How do we kill this thing?"

"I wish I had my roller!" Callie yelled, and ran until she was point blank range from its side. She sprayed it down with the octoshot, not even bothering to aim, as the shots went wild. Only until her weapon clicked from the lack of ink did she stop. But not even that barrage seemed to have an effect on the armored beast.

"Callie, get back!" Drake yelled, as another bomb started to form on its head. Callie started to run back, but tripped and fell over. Horrified, Drake was about to leap off the catwalk, when a hailstorm of ink flew from behind where Drake was standing, and over his shoulder. The stream of ink hit the salmonid tank's bomb, causing it to rupture, just before it was able to throw. The premature detonation rocked the creature, causing its armor to fracture. It let out a final roar, before exploding into a pile of gel and scrap.

"I-is it dead?" Callie asked, as she slowly pulled herself back up with Shen and Kora's help.

"I think so." Drake turned to the person who had dealt the killing blow. "That was some good thinking Yako-" Drake froze when he saw that the person who had been standing behind him was not the younger Maroon sister.

...

"Pearl, are you sure you know where we're going?" Marina was following her co-star through an alley, not too far from the square. The had lost sight of the hooded figure that Pearl had deemed a "target" the previous night, but she caught sight of it passing by the studio. Making up an excuse and dragging Marina along, the pygmy squid quickly ditched work to tail it through the alley. However, they lost sight a minute ago, and were now wondering aimlessly.

"It had to have gone this way! No where else for the dude to go," Pearl responded. She continued to follow the path, until it came to a dead end.

"Uhh.. Pearly?"

"Yeah, yeah." Pearl sighed. "Must have jumped the wall or some-" Pearl's monologue was cut short, when a figure jumped from the side of a dumpster, and went straight for Marina. She yelped as it grabbed her shoulders.

"Why are you following me!" The figure demanded.

"Ahh! I-I'm sorry-" Marina started to say, but Pearl shifted to her squid form, and did a partially charged long jump right into the figures gut, knocking him over. As it groaned in pain, Pearl jumped on top, changed forms, and sat on its chest.

"Didn't think I'd know how to fight, did ya? Sorry, bruh, but I know my way around the gym, yo." She turned to look at her partner. "You okay, Marina?"

"Y-yeah, it didn't hurt me."

"Good. Then let's see who's our new friend." Grinning, she lowered the hood of the figure. Expecting an Octarian, she was surprised to see a red haired human boy staring back at her. Her expression soon became sour. "Oh, great. The so called elder race. Why don't you go back from where you came from?"

"You followed me, then rammed me in the gut, and now you're telling me to leave?" The boy glared back at her.

"C-come on, Pearly. You can't just be rude because he's a human-"

"You're too soft, Marina. These guys are just trouble waiting to happen. Aren't you fossil?"

"I just came here to find my sister!" He yelled at her.

"Suuuure you did. Bet yah yer the one behind all the weird stuff happening-"

"Pearl! Get off of him!" Marina yelled, which made Pearl freeze up. Seeing that she was serious and on the verge of getting mad, she did what she was told, though not looking too happy. "I'm sorry, about her. She's not normally like this." Marina offered her hand, and helped him up. The boy appeared to be the same size as Marina.

"Don't mention it.. though your attack dog doesn't look sorry."

"Be glad I didn't bite you, fossil. I've done it before-"

"Pearl!"

"Grrr.. fine.." she looked away from the human.

"S-so, I'm Marina, and that's Pearl. Can you tell us your name?" Marina continued to ask.

"Kenny.. Kenny Becker." Kenny turned his attention to the dark skinned Octoling. "And aren't you the two who were performing earlier?"

"Yeah, that's us..." Pearl sighed and did a half hearted pose.

"Y-yeah." Marina nodded. "S-so Kenny, can you come with us to the studio? We'd like to ask you a few questions. Pleeease?" Marina tried to offer her sweetest smile, in an expression like she was begging. Something she likely learned from Callie.

"I.. I guess I can do that.. it's not like I have any other leads.." Kenny nodded, and Marina took his hand.

"We'll treat you to lunch as an apology, won't we Pearl?"

"Yeah, fine," Pearl sighed as she followed them. "But I'm taking yah to the history museum when we're done." The three headed out of the alley, and back to the studio.

**A\N Wish I knew salmon run was this much of a pain to write before hand.**


	12. 2.3 Fishing for War.

Time seemed to stand still for Drake and the others, thanks to the sudden appearance that defeated the metal monstrosity for them. While not unhappy or unappreciative of the help, it was rather jarring to have this encounter already. He eventually broke out of the stupor, and stepped forward. "Otome...?" The Octoling in question didn't answer, and simply stared back. "Otome? Why didn't you tell us you were okay? Why did we see on the news that you were marrying-" Drake's speech got cut off, due to a distinct clicking sound. In a flash, Otome had raised her octoshot, and pointed it at him, with her yellow eyes staring coldly over the top of the loading tank.

"Whhhhaaaa? Sis!?" Yako ran up to where Drake was standing. She wanted to run up to her sister. To hug her and be embraced, but the older sister simply raised her hand.

"Stay back," she said with a cool tone, looking the group over. "I did what I was sent to do, and that doesn't include interacting with any of you." Yako simply stared at her in disbelief that she was being treated this way.

"Otome, what the hell? Why are you acting like this?" Drake took another step forward, but Otome fired a shot at his feet. "I said stay back. You may be able to resist ink, but I have more than enough in my tank to knock you down and keep you down." She lowered the octoshot, and turned away. "I'm done here. I suggest you tell Kelly to remove you from front line duty..." She started to head to the edge of the loading area, but was grabbed on the shoulder. Upon seeing who grabbed her, Otome's face went from cold to angry in an instant.

"Otome, please tell us why you are upset," Callie said, with an expression that looked like she was fighting the urge to run away.

"I don't have time for this.. Get out of my face!" Otome said with a hiss, and pushed her hand away. Otome started to walk forward, but having forced her fears down, Callie stepped in front of her. "Get out of my way, Inkling..."

"No!" Callie put her arms out to make it clear she was blocking her. "Not until you tell us what's going on!"

"I mean it, Inkling.."

"Do you know how worried we were about you? How long I tried to find you? How upsetting it was to see that you were being wed to that jerk?"

"This is your last warning!" Otome bared her teeth.

"Can't you tell us? We're your friend- AHHHH!" At the same time as Callie's shriek, a loud slapping sound echoed across the island. Callie fell backwards, and landed on her side. She then looked up at her friend of two years in horror.

"Friend? You dare say that to me!" Otome roared at the fallen Inkling. "You?! This is your fault!" Everyone on the beech could only stare in shock at the outburst. "Even since before, you've been plotting against me!"

"What...? The hell told you that?" Drake said, coming out of the shock. "We never... she didn't-"

"I said, stay away, betrayer!" she pointed her octoshot at Drake again, before turning back to Callie. "I trusted you! I trusted both of you, and you.. you.." Otome's tantrum suddenly stopped. For a split second, her expression was one of sorrow and regret. But just as suddenly, the cold expression returned to her face. "You just watch me be wed to Octarias and have everything... you two took from me." With out another word, she changed to her basic form, and long jumped into the air, landing on a passing zeppelin. They could only watch as it headed back to Octarian territory.

"Sis... siiiss.." Yako collapsed to her knees, and tears flowed down her cheeks. "Why.. whhyy?" While Otome's behavior had hurt both Drake and Callie, to Yako, being completely ignored by her older sister was far worse. Shen, Kora and even Octomarin were unable to find words. Finally, Drake stood up to break up the silence.

"Shen.. call the airship. We're leaving."

"H-huh?" He quickly came out of his trace. "But aren't we supposed to like, guard the area or something?"

"We were supposed to thin out their numbers, and that's exactly what we did. Now call the airship."

"Y-yeah, right away." He quickly got on his communicator and requested and extraction. Kora looked at them in surprise, since to her, they seemed to forget about the canisters and crashed airship.

"Wait, wait. Shouldn't we investigate that crashed airship first? Maybe get a sample of the junk its leaking?"

"Not our job. Besides..." Drake turned away after helping Callie up. "I'm pretty sure I already know what it is..." They started to head towards the beach, except for Shen who stayed behind. The whole incident had rattled him more than it should have. He looked over to where they last saw the Octoling, and something caught his eye. There was a small puddle of the same blue green liquid on some scrap metal that was directly under where she had jumped from. Curious, he emptied out his canteen, and gathered up as much as he could in the container.

"Shen! You coming?" Octomarin called out, as the airship landed.

"Yeah I'm coming, keep your damn pants on!" He put the container away and headed back to where the airship had landed. After loading up the rest of the regulars, the craft headed back to the capital at top speed.

...

The atmosphere around the table sitting in the middle of the studio building was tense to say the least. Onlookers watched through the window in confusion and curiosity, as Kenny described how he lost his sister in the subway tunnels. Pearl was leaning on the edge of her seat, while Marina nervously munched on the lunch they ordered. When he was finished, he went back to chowing down on the pizza that had so thoughtfully been ordered by the duo, as Marina promised.

"I gotta admit, fossil, that was a pretty entertaining story. But yah really expect us to buy a story about green skinned and blue tentacled Octarians?" Pearl said, as she downed the rest of the slice that she had been surprisingly neglecting due to the story.

"It's the truth," Kenny responded with a shrug. "You can ask the others that were with me."

"Come on, bro. I can believe that she was kidnapped by those terrorist that attacked the subway, but alien Octarians?" Pearl leaned back in her chair, giving him a grin that told him she thought he was either an idiot or on something.

"I-it might be possible, you know," Marina cut in. "Those survivors we interviewed said they didn't look like normal Octrarians, either..."

"Just means they were the Octarian army in disguise," Pearl said to her partner.

"You know, for a species that used think we were underdeveloped because of our head size, that big shiny forehead seems to have forgotten that the army fought with us. Not to mention several people saw similar Inklings with them," Kenny said, interrupting Pearl before she could argue.

"Watch your tone, Fossil," Pearl said with a growl. "My daddy is-"

"Don't care, Forehead-chan."

"Yo! What did you call me!?" Pearl started to get up, but Marina slammed her palms down on the table.

"Will you two knock it off!" She yelled, which caused them to both jump. "Don't make fun of Pearl, Kenny." Marina then turned her attention to Pearl. "And what is your problem? He was nice enough to come down here to answer our questions, and you keep trying to pick a fight!"

"You heard what he called me! And-"

"Pearl!"

"Okay, okay.." She sighed. "I'm sorry.."

"I'm sorry, too." Marina bowed a little. "We shouldn't be yelling at each other. Especially after we asked for your help." Marina then stuck her hand out. "L-let's start over and be friends, okay?" Since Marina was in her stage outfit and leaning close, Kenny couldn't help but to blush a little.

"Y-yeah, sure." He shook her hand. He was surprised at how cool and smooth it felt, since was the first time he had actually touched any of the evolved cephalopods, despite being thawed from the Technodyne facility for two years now.

"Hehe.. you're warm. Just like Drake was."

"Yeah.. I suppose that's the one thing nice about the fossils," Pearl said in a surprising agreement.

"Alright, you're turn Pearlie."

"Fine, fine.." She stuck her hand out. "Nice to meet yah, and all that junk."

"Good. See? You can be friends with humans too. And you didn't bite this time, either."

"Wait, bite?" Kenny quickly took his hand back, which made Pearl grin.

"Yeah, bite. I nailed frigging Drake on the hand."

"You bit... the captain?" Kenny blinked a few times in surprise.

"Damn right I did. And Marie still laughs every time she tells the story."

"That.. does sound funny as hell," Kenny said, and they both shared a chuckle. Before Marina could say something, however, the door opened and the crew came flooding in.

"H-huh? The next broadcast isn't for another hour, right?" Marina said in confusion, as they started setting up. More inklings and several resident Octolings from outside gathered to peer in and observe the confusion.

"It's an emergency broadcast." Fran said, who came in last. "We need to set up in five minutes."

"What about? Can't be that big a deal, yo. Unless-" Pearl stopped, and went wide eyed when he saw what Fran had written on his notepad. The two quickly went to take their positions at the front, near the large screen. Then she looked back to where Kenny was still sitting. "And don't let him leave. We ain't done yet."

...

"Saaayyy WHHAAT!?" Marie jumped out of her chair, as Pearl and Marina made their shocking announcement. Her sudden movement almost caused the laptop to go flying off the small desk, especially since her leg had gotten tangled on the power cord. She grabbed hold of the chair to keep both her and the computer from tumbling to the floor. Hoping nobody saw the sudden outburst, she sat back down to watch the rest of the broadcast.

"I-I'm afraid its been confirmed," Marina continued after Pearl's colorful introduction of the announcement. "The new Emperor, Octarias, has declared the treaty completely null and void. In his words, the chancellor refusing to cooperate in investigating the train incident is reason enough to declare Inkopolis in violation of the treaty." Marina paused and looked down. "Even though they aren't taking action yet... We're at war again, Pearlie.."

"Yo, don't be sad, Marina. I won't let them do anything stupid."

"Y-yes.. Well, we still haven't gotten a response from the Chancellor's office. We'll keep you posted as soon as we get more information." The two quickly signed off, forgoing their usual ending to the broadcast, but rather than cut out, the camera man followed their movements off stage to where Kenny was sitting. Marie leaned closer to see if she could recognize the human.

"Man, Drake wasn't kidding when he said the Pizza was almost as good as our own. But I gotta ask. Where do you get the milk to make the cheese?"

"You don't need to know that!" Pearl yelled, then noticed the camera was still on. "And turn the camera off, dammit!" The screen promptly went black.

"Huh.. who was that? I didn't think they let any humans besides Drake into the studio.. and he hasn't been there since- wait, no. Who cares about that now?" Marie quickly grabbed and unplugged the laptop, before racing to the front door. Outside, Kirin was sitting next to Octavio's prison. He was slowly opening and closing his eyes, trying to stay awake after another full night of standing guard. Neptune was staring at him intently, with a marker in her hand. Just before he was about to nod off, he and Neptune were both startled by the sound of the door slamming, as Marie stormed out.

"Dah, I wasn't asleep! No need to bother Pearl," Kirin said, as he stood back up. Marie ignored him, and went right to Octavio.

"You!" She snarled at him. "You set this up, didn't you!?"

"The hell are you talking about, woman?" Octavio said, as he was woken from his nap. "And if you got time to whine, yah got time to feed me somethin'!"

"Shut up!" She yelled with fury filled eyes. "You knew about this, didn't you! The attack on the train? The assassination of Octurus? All this happening after you take Callie from me? It's you, isn't it?"

"I don't know what crazy fantasy you cooked up, ink stain, but you mind if I take notes? Maybe I should have taken you, instead of her." Marie practically slammed the laptop down in front of the spherical prison hard enough that the Agents thought it was going to break in half.

"Geez, Marie. You're becoming as crazy as the old man at this rate. What's the deal?" Neptune asked. Marie shot her a glare.

"Be quiet and pay attention, since I assume you haven't seen the announcement just now." Marie hit the playback button. Both Neptune and Kirin went from confused to shocked at the broadcast. They expected Octavio to be smug, once the footage was over, but he seemed to have a blank look, as if it didn't concern him.

"That brat's really grown a pair. Kinda wish I tried bringing him over to the correct side," the Octobot king said, once the screen went blank again.

"Cut the crap. I know you're behind this."

"If I did, I wouldn't be in here, squirt." Octavio rolled his eyes. "And I really don't care. Y'all can destroy each other." Marie threw up her hands in resignation.

"You know what? Forget it." She turned away from Octavio, and back to Kirin and Neptune. "You two, get your gear. We're gonna investigate this ourselves."

"Wait, now? But Marie, I'm tired and we don't even know where to start," Kirin protested, as bags formed under his eyes.

"The lad's right," a voice said that came from the direction of the pipe. The group turned, and saw Cuttlefish coming towards them, with Levin and Shara in tow.

"Gramps! Where have you been!" Marie said, and ran towards him. "I was worried sick about you!"

"We've been hunting down the last of his officers," Shara answered, while pointing to Octavio. She then approached Octavio's sphere. "You here that, has been? Soon as we hunt down the last two, there will be nobody left coming to save you."

"So you got a few useless hipsters. Am I supposed to care?" The old Octarian leader didn't seem concerned with her statement and barely noticed that she was there. Her eyes narrowed in irritation.

"You don't care? Almost all of your loyal officers from two years ago are gone, and you don't-" Shara was cut off when Octavio raised two tentacles parallel to each other, and moved the tips up and down like a talking mouth in an obvious attempt to mock her. Shara looked like she was about to burst a vain, when Marie pulled her away from the prison.

"Look, thanks to gramps leaving his phone behind AGAIN," she gave the old squid a quick look, before returning her attention to the agents. "And you two not answering your phones-"

"Hey, we couldn't help it!" Levin cut in to defend them. "We were all over the place and a lot of those areas didn't have mobile service, and were out of range of the communicator."

"Alright, fine. But as I was saying-"

"Hey, were be my other gran- I mean, Agent 1?" Cuttlefish asked. "And who's that there with Agent 6-"

"Alright that's it!" Marie pointed her umbrella prop at the cap'n. "First off, let me talk, and second, we're dealing with this stupid number code system right now!"

"B-but-" Cuttlefish started to say, but Marie swung the umbrella around like an inkbrush.

"No butts! Me and Callie will keep our numbers.. and I guess Levin can keep his since he's got the cape-"

"Awesome!" He grinned.

"But Everyone else can just stick to their names. I'm sick of all this confusion because someone keeps changing the numbers around," Marie finished, looking a little better to finally get that out of her system.

"But the code names are tradi-" Cuttlefish started to protest again, but Marie didn't give him a chance to prevent her from ridding herself of this headache.

"Grraaaaaammmps?" She said with an obviously fake smile. "I don't think you get a say in this, since you left Octavio unguarded when you knew there was a potential threat of a break out attempt."

"W-well I left you a note, didn't I? And besides, the Octojerk is still in there, isn't he?" Cuttlefish's eyes were getting wide over Marie talking back to him like this. Something that hadn't really happened since her and Callie were kids.

"He is now. And to answer your earlier question, a group of Octolings broke him out a few days ago, when the only one here was Callie. They overwhelmed her and took her hostage."

"Whhhhaaat?" Cuttlefish raised the bamboozler he used as a cane and started waving it wildly. The others ducked for cover to avoid his geriatric rampage. He then started banging it against the prison. "What did you do with my grandsquid!"

"Yah know, that whole ordeal in Octocanyon was worth it, just to see that look on your face. Scritchy-scratch, Cuttlefish. Now I can at least rest knowing that I payed yah back." Octavio gave him a rude gesture, and he would have been grinning if he was in his bipedal form. Cursing, Cuttlefish turned away from the orb.

"Arrgh! Agent 3, Agent 4-"

"Gramps!"

"Er, Agent 3, Shara! I know yer tired, Buckos, but I need you to get my Grandsquid back!"

"Gramps.." Marie walked over, and put her hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him down. "Relax. It's taken care of. Kirin, over there, helped me get her back, as well as stop Octavio."

"Hey! I was here too, and I saved his cute butt along the way!" Neptune cut in, though everyone chose to ignore her.

"Eh, he did?" Cuttlefish finally remembered that there was an unfamiliar green squid in uniform, next to Neptune. He slowly walked over to him, and looked him over, making Kirin feel uncomfortable. "Then I owe you my thanks, Agent...?"

"Kirin... And uhh.. yeah.. I guess I did." Kirin looked down while under the old squid's gaze.

"Kirin... Kirin..." Shara walked up as well with a pensive look. "I've heard that name before... and I'm sure I've seen you somewhere."

"That's Kirk's.. cousin," Marie interrupted and answered the question she was brooding over. "We met him at Kirk's services, remember? I didn't recognize him at first, either."

"Wait, really? Oh, dude! I'm sorry about what happened back then. Kirk was a cool guy," Levin said, as he rubbed his back tentacle to hide his sad expression.

"Yes.. and a good member of the squad," Shara nodded. "We all still wish we could have handled things differently, back then."

"Least we made the chairman pay for it," Neptune growled behind them to get the point across. "But even his life wasn't enough, if you ask me."

"U-uhh, it's still a touchy subject for her," Levin cut in to keep her going on a tangent. "Look, if your one of us now, then don't hesitate to ask us anything. It's the least we can do for Kirk, man."

"O-oh.. right." Kirin winced, partially due to the conversation focus shifting to Kirk, and partially because he knew where it would end up. "B-but I'm fine.. t-thanks for.. being his friend and all that..."

"You okay man? I bet someone is being a jerk over Kirk, right? If so, I'll be happy to feed them a blaster smoothy."

"Levin, he's fine," Marie interrupted. "It's just.." She sighed, knowing that she would have to explain about Callie. "He- we made a mistake that almost got Callie killed.. and when she finally came back.." Marie stopped and grit her teeth. "She had been banned from Inkopolis, and all outlying towns. Octavio brainwashed her with his controller devices, but they said she helped him because of losing splatfest, which is SHARKSHIT!" Kirin looked up at her. He was stunned that she didn't expose what he did.

"U-unacceptable!" Cuttlefish yelled. "We gotta get her back, pronto, buckos! I'm not leaving her down there for his minions to brainwash again!"

"I-I know, Gramps. I want to get her back too, more than anything else. But now is not the time. Especially since we are so close to having that second great turf war again.. but.. I know she'll be okay. They should be safe in the capital, and Drake is with her."

"I don't like the sound of her being alone in Octarian territory with a boy, but... If anyone can protect her, it's him." Cuttlefish finally calmed down, knowing that Callie wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Yeah, we all know he'd neeeever let something happen to her. After all, that sibling thing was kinda gross." Neptune stuck out her tongue to illustrate the point. "They should just hookup already."

"That's funny coming from you!" Levin shot back. "Besides, he's got Otome!"

"You know what!" Marie interrupted before the conversation could go down the road of talking about the Octoling. "You two are probably tired. In fact, why don't you all get changed and head home? The police should be here any minute to finally pickup Octavio, anyway."

"Aye, and I need to get back to me shack in Octovalley to start looking for a lead on Lieutenant Siber," Cuttlefish nodded. "You agents are dismissed." They eagerly nodded and flooded into the cabin to get changed. On his way, Kirin looked back at Marie, who simply nodded at him. Any remaining animosity towards her vanished, as he realized he wasn't about to be torn apart by the other agents, since only she and Neptune knew what really happened. At the cabin, the boys were promptly kicked out by the girls, who changed first. After the boys took their turns getting the uniforms off, they headed back to where Marie and Cuttlefish were.

"Levin, Shara, you two can take tomorrow off, and then help gramps find the last two officers. Neptune, Kirin, you two will go with me to start investigating Octarian territory again," Marie said.

"U-uhhh, haven't I already done what you said by guarding him?" Kirin asked. "I don't think I belong here."

"Sorry, Kirin, but you aren't getting off that easy. You're here until I get my cousin back. Now, all of you go get some rest." The four agents started heading back to the pipe, but it wasn't a quiet trip. Neptune quickly jumped between Levin and Shara.

"Sooooo? What have you and big brother been doing, huh? No way all you two love birds did was hunt Octarians, especially since someone made someone a cape. Come on! I want allll the juicy details." The two groaned, as Neptune continued to press for details. Though Kirin was the last to voice his displeasure, as she reminded him that he had an appointment with Selka.

"Well I hope that boy learned something about forgiveness," Marie muttered to herself. She then took a small package out of her kimono, that Drake had slipped into it the last time he saw her. It contained a set of decorated pins and clips for her tentacles that Callie had gotten Marie for her birthday, and a handcrafted bracelet set that Drake had commissioned from a human craft dealer. "But who am I to talk... Taking her away, is the one thing I can't forgive."

...

"So why are we being redirected to another potential salmonid location with out a break?" Octomarin asked, with an annoyed expression. The airship that had been heading back towards Octovalley had received a call from Guardian headquarters, and Drake was forced to order Shen to redirect it back into salmonid infested waters.

"Captain Scylls received a call from an old outpost that some regulars had garrisoned in to keep an eye on salmonid activity. They're getting overrun, so we're being sent to contain the situation," Drake responded. As soon as he said this, the navigator looked up from her terminal.

"Sir, we're above our landing zone, and it looks like the salmonids are already attacking again."

"Right, same drill as before. Shen, get us close to the ground. The rest of you, be prepared to hit the island fighting." Drake got up and headed to the storage bay, where the Octarian regulars were awaiting deployment. They appeared to be much more nervous than last time, likely due to the sudden appearance of the metal salmonid. Drake tried to think of a way to get them to calm down, but the ship shook, indicating that it came to a stop, and the ramp lowered. "Everyone out! Go!" The troopers put the assault platforms in gear, and Drake hoofed it down the ramp behind them.

"Captain! Look out!" Kora yelled, when she hit the ground from a long jump. A line of chum were charging out from the inside of the old rotting fort ruins. Before the troopers could fire on the line, however, a stream of rapid firing pellets hit the line from the rear. The rate of the shots being fired went faster and faster, splatting each chum in the line, until the last one fell dead in front of the Twintacle.

"What the hell was that?" Shen said, as he lowered his weapon. "Was that one of our own?"

"That.. that was almost like one of the Inkling weapons. A splatling to be exact... but I've never heard about us reverse engineering them," Kora said as they slowly made their way into the fort, now that the salmonids were backing off for the time being, likely due to the unexpected arrival of reinforcements. In the center of the fort, were the last few Octotroopers, who were circled around an Octosniper's platform. Perched on the platform, was a tall regular that looked similar to the snipers, but wore a cap and sunglasses. Instead of the charger barrel, its weapon had been replaced by a large multi barrel weapon that looked like a splatling.

"A-an Octocommander?" Callie said, who backed up a little.

"Been in the corps for several years now, and I've never seen this," Octomarin commented.

"I-it's new. I saw a few when I was under Octavio's control. It can give the hydra a run for it's money.. They freak me out more than the snipers do," Callie nervously clung to Drake's arm, while staring at the creature. It used its tentacle to lift its sunglasses to give the group a look over.

"So.. are you the relief force or what?" The Octocommander asked. "Why is your airship leaving?"

"We aren't here to pick you up. We're here to hold the area, regular." Shen said in an annoyed tone. "And we were supposed to be done for the day, until we were ordered to clean up your mess."

"Watch it, runt!" The Octocommander barked back, which made Shen growl. "These aren't normal Salmonids, and we're down to five! We need evac, not more hold orders!"

"Oh, Please. We beat back our wave and only lost one measly trooper," Shen shot back, which earned him a glare from every regular in the group.

"Shen, knock it off." Octomarin clapped him in the back of the head. One of the Octobombers laughed at him, which added to his irritation. "So, was it one of those big metal guys with the bombs?"

"Metal, yes. Big and with bombs? No," the commander responded, still looking irritated at the fact that they had to stay for another potential wave. "It was these metal vehicles that looked like scrap heaps. They're fast, and the armor in the front can take some serious punishment. They've been killing the troopers by ramming them, and knocking them off their assault platforms. Never seen anything like it, either."

"So metal tanks, and now battering rams. That's great," Drake sighed. "What the hell is up with these fish things?"

"They were never this... advanced when Octavio was trying to get them on his side.." Kora said.

"I might know what happened, but I really hope I'm wrong," Drake responded, as he looked around the ruins. "All right, Yako, take Shen and Octomarin, and watch over the docks. I'll take Callie and Kora, and secure the ruins to the right. The regulars are in charge of the center metal walkway. Bombers and copters, run support like before."

"Right, Captain... and I want an explanation on why there's an Inkling here, and.. I'm not even going to try and guess what you are," The Octocommander responded, as the unit took positions. No sooner did Drake's team reach the right ruins, did they see ripples form in the water. A single chum emerged, and looked over the group. He then opened his mouth, and made the same indescribable gurgling sounds that they heard at the spawning grounds.

"That noise is driving my autotran crazy.. is that even a language?" Drake asked. As if to answer the question, another, much larger ripple formed in the water.

"Ah, crap! Looks like we got a big one coming!" Kora raised her charger in preparation for what they assumed would be one of the metal tanks. But what came out was neither the metal tanks, nor the scrap cars the Octocommander described. It propelled itself into the air, using a stream of gel to keep it airborne. It was a small craft being piloted by an even smaller salmonid, and it was carrying two large containers on its sides.

"The heck is that?" Callie asked, as they watched the craft in confusion. "Are those trash bins its carrying?" The salmonid on the ground made the gurgling sound again, and more ground forces started to flood out on all sides. The airborne craft opened the lids on the containers it was carrying at the same time, then fired ink missiles from them. "Eeek! Trash bins nothing, that's a trashmaster!"

"Tenta-missiles Incoming!" Drake took Callie's hand, and the two followed Kora to shelter, barely avoiding the barrage, as more Salmonids started pushing their way towards the fort. All of hell broke loose.


	13. 2.4 - Cloak and Salmonid

 

"What did you call that thing? A Trash-master? That's so perfect." Drake leaned out from the side of the fort, and fired a short burst at the airborne salmonid craft. Following the gunfire, the loud dinging sound of a bullet bouncing off metal told them that small arms was not going to work. Drake, Callie and Kora, were forced back into the open after another volley of tenta-missiles hit the ground behind them, almost taking out one of the surviving Octotroopers. More of the smaller salmonids were coming from the beaches. Luckily, a long spray of ink from the Octocommander stopped a line of chum that had gotten around the Octolings that were watching the docks.

"This isn't right! Where are they getting all these machines!" Octomarin yelled from the other side. Taking a note from Otome, her and Shen managed to blast the bomb on the large tank like salmonid's head as it was filling, causing it to rupture and explode.

"Sheeeen! Behind you!" Yako yelled, who was having to refill her tank from throwing too many bombs at once. The warning was enough, and the male was able to turn and hit a chum directly in the face with an ink ball. It flopped backwards, and burst into dark green gel.

"Nice one, little man." Octomarin gave a thumbs up, before turning her attention back to an approaching cohock.

"Well that's great, but how are we supposed to deal with this thing?" Kora peaked around the backside of the fort, and glanced at the flyer, that looked like it was trying to lock onto a target.

"A rocket launcher would sure be nice.. but I'll have to settle for this and pray it works." Drake yanked a grenade off the belt, then pulled the pin. He held it in his hand for another two seconds, then hurled it at the flyer. He had intended to count down the grenade's timer, so it would detonate as soon as it reached the flying machine. But the grenade merely bounced off the cockpit with a clang, due to him miscalculating the timer. As luck would have it, however, the explosive landed in the right missile bin, just as it was closing. A moment later, an explosion rocked the craft. The missile bin detached from the central unit, and fell into the water.

"Whoa! You got it!" Callie said, excitedly.

"Not yet! Look out!" Kora yelled, as the flyer turned towards Drake. He tried to retrieve another grenade from his belt, only to notice that it had gotten stuck, just as the second missile bin opened. After finally getting it off, he went to pull the pin. Just before he did, he saw a pair of splat bombs thrown into the other launcher. The bombs burst, and the second launcher detached, causing the entire airborne vehicle to spin out of control and crash into the shore line.

"That was closer than I would have liked," Drake said with a sigh, now that the adrenaline rush was over. "Nice save, you two."

"Thankies!" Cally responded with a piece sign, while Kora nodded.

"Kora, get on the communicator and let them know how to take those things down. Callie, help me mop up."

"Right, captain." Kora raised a finger to her earpiece, as Callie started spraying down on the smaller salmonids with her Octoshot, while Drake covered her with the rifle. One by one, they fell, not stopping until the rubble part of the old fort was clean. "Hey, Octomarin? We found out how to kill the flying things."

"That's great, but we got more of those.. what did Drake call it? The megazord? Could use a tentacle here!" Octomarin replied. Kora looked at Drake, who nodded at her.

"We'll be right there!" The three headed back to the docks that Yako, Octomarin and Shen were supposed to be keeping watch over. On the far end, another steel tank type was sitting on the docks, lobbing bombs periodically. Despite knowing its weak point, it was proving to be a challenge to get close enough to destroy the bomb before it could be launched. Chum and Cohocks were protecting its flanks. Shen tried to get around it with his brush, but a freshly emerged Cohock took a swing at him, which he barely managed to duck under.

"Shen, get your ass back here!" Drake yelled, as he shot the Cohock in the head several times to keep it from finishing the Octoling boy off. The steel salmonid turned to him, and started filling another bomb. "Kora!"

"On it, captain!" Kora raised her reverse engineered scoped charger and took aim. A second later, and a stream of ink flew towards the bomb, causing it to rupture almost instantly. Shen moved to the far side of the docks, and swung his octobrush violently, sending waves of ink at the retreating Chum. Yako and Octomarin moved in behind them to cut them off. All that remained of the skirmish, was the dark green gel that now covered the wooden pier. They didn't have anytime to relax, as the Octocommander quickly started yelling from the inner part of the old fort.

"We need backup, front center! Those damn scrap cars are back!"

"Give me a break.." Shen grumbled as all six of them headed towards the central metal walkways. The Octarian regulars were being pushed back towards the fort. A large box shaped hunk of metal was pushing its way into the line of Octotroopers, ignoring the hits it was taking to its front plate. A stream of gel was fired from its rear exhaust, and it shot towards the unfortunate Octotrooper that was in its path. The vehicle slammed into the trooper's assault platform, causing it to fall off. This left it easy prey, and it screamed when the scrap car rolled it over, crushing it instantly.

"Great, and now they got Moto-bugs," Drake sighed. "Spread out! These things are probably built like tanks, and like any tank, are weak in the back!" The group split into two, just as a stream of purple came flying from where the Octocommander was perched. The stream hit the front armor relentlessly, and while it wasn't able to break through, it did cause the machine to stagger. Yako and Octomarin jumped over the second armored car, and landed behind the one that had been stunned.

"Hah! Drake was totally right! Look! It's butt is sticking out! Let's kick it," Yako said with a grin. Not only was the armor weak in the back, but it had no armor at all. The two eagerly rolled a pair of bombs into the vehicle, which promptly burst. The driver inside was instantly neutralized, rendering the armored car harmless. The second car turned around to face the two that had destroyed its team mate, only to unknowingly expose itself to the Octocommander, who unloaded another stream to its exposed backside.

"Man, where the hell are the salmonids getting these things?" Octomarin said with a sigh, now that they had some breathing room, despite the additional chum that were flowing in.

"Looks to me like a mesh between Inkling and Octarian tech. Are you sure they are as savage as you claim?" Drake asked, after gunning down a Chum.

"Positive, at least not until recently. They're even more coordinated than they used to be," Octomarin answered. Then something caught her eye, and she looked up. "Ah, sharkshit! Everyone, scatter!"

"What?" Drake looked up, expecting to see more tenta-missles, but instead saw green gel raining down from an unnatural looking miniature cloud. Octomarin grabbed him, and yanked him back to the fort, as the others all scrambled to get out of its path. Another trooper wasn't so lucky, and the gel rain caused him to painfully melt into a puddle of his own ink. "Where the hell did that come from?" Drake asked, when everyone was back inside the fort.

"Look! Over there!" Octomarin pointed to a figure that was slowly descending to where they had been standing earlier. The figure was difficult to make out, but it looked like a salmonid attached to a large metal umbrella. The creature landed, and they saw it fire off a strange pod, which burst open and formed another rain cloud.

"Great. Now they got umbrella dipshits. What's next?"

"More armored salmonids coming from the docks!" One of the octocopter scouts yelled.

"Enemies coming in from the right ruins!" The other yelled.

"Does that answer your question, captain?" Shen said with a gaze that said 'this is your fault for speaking.'

"Dammit! Everyone take positions near the exits, but stay inside the fort!" The group of six and the surviving regulars all took positions near the exits and windows. Drake went over to a window that overlooked the docks and peered out, as Callie stood up on her toes next to him to peak out as well. Chum were coming out by the truckload, backed up by the more advanced mechanized salmonids.

"O-oh my gosh.. C-can we handle this?" She glanced to him with a nervous expression.

"No, we can't." He turned towards Kora, who was watching the door with Shen. "Kora, call HQ and tell them we need back up, like right now."

"I-I already did. They're sending a Mariner Octostriker group, but they won't be here for another five minutes." She tried to hide the fear in her voice with her response, but her legs were shaking. Even Shen looked like he was going to soil himself any minute. Octomarin and Yako weren't fairing much better. Looking at his team, Drake knew it was time to go.

"Then call the airship, and tell them we need a pickup, and fast."

"B-but aren't our orders to hold?" She asked to make sure that he was certain about violating their assignment.

"He's right, Kora," Octomarin chimed in. "There's too many. Hell, this has got to be some kind of a record." Kora nodded, and made the call. Soon, they could see the approaching airship, but the salmonids were already on top of them. The Octolings were taking as many shots from behind cover as they could, while the regulars desperately threw everything they had to keep the salmonids from getting inside. While this was working for the initial wave, it was clear that they were about to be overrun when the large steel tanks lumbered ever closer, ignoring the ink and lead that were bouncing off the armor.

"Everyone get your heads down!" Drake yelled, as the first of the large bombs was thrown by the steel salmonids. Everyone backed away from the windows and doors to avoid the blast, forcing the group to all huddle at the center. But just as the armor came through the door, the airship finally was able to land at the back of the fort.

"That's our ride! I'm outta here!" Shen climbed out the back window, followed by Kora and Octomarin. Drake kicked open the back door for the Octotroopers to use as an exit, before running towards the craft with Callie and Yako behind him, taking their hands to make sure they didn't fall behind. Shen changed forms, and long jumped himself to the upper hatch, so he could join the bridge crew, while the others ran up the cargo ramp. They all fell over each other into a pile, once they were safely inside.

"You two okay?" He asked, as he helped Callie stand back up.

"Y-yeah.. I-I'm fine." She panted heavily. "Thank.. you."

"Whhaaa! That was too freaky!" Yako yelled, while clinging to him.

"There there. You're okay." Octomarin said, as she and Drake rubbed her head. Drake looked over to see the last few regulars speeding towards the ship with more salmonids on their tail.

"Pilot, hold up. There's still regulars out there."

"No time," Shen responded, which told them that he had relieved the other pilot. "We're getting outta here while we still can."

"Shen you keep this thing on the ground until everyone is on board!" Drake shot back.

"They're just regulars. Expendable. We don't leave now, then we all die. And I'm not dying for them."

"THAT'S AN ORDER!"

"Fine, but if we get shot down, it's on you!" Shen snapped. The airship remained at ground level, as the remaining troopers started to load up the ramp.

"Shit, we need a few more seconds. Callie, help me cover them!"

"You got it!" The two went to the edge of the ramp and took aim at their fish enemies. Since they were too far away for the octoshot, Callie took out the handgun she was 'borrowing' and took down a Chum that was about to nip the Twintacle in the back. She fired another seven shots, until a clicking sound was heard. "Ah! I need to reload, how do I reload?!"

"I thought I showed you already?" Drake dropped a Cohock at the back, just as the Twintacle got on board. "Never-mind, they're clear- wait! Where is the Octocommander?"

"Look!" Kora pointed to the back of the fort. From inside the back door, they could see the commander firing away at the salmonids that had him completely surrounded. "What is he doing?"

"My job," The Octarian responded over the communicator. "Get my guys outta here."

"B-but we can't just leave him?" Callie looked over at Drake with pleading eyes.

"Right." Drake was about to jump off the ramp to go grab him, but all of a sudden, a green beam was fired from the docks. The beam enveloped the Octocommander, and they saw him completely vaporize. There was nothing left of the Octocommander, once the beam ceased its fire."

"W-w-what the hell was that?" One of the surviving troopers asked. "I-it got him.. and."

"It.. looked like one of our stingrays," Callie said, who was still in a state of shock at the sudden attack. "A-and it came from..." They all turned their attention to the docks. A large tower that had not been there before, was sitting on the edge, over the water. On top of the tower, a salmonid holding a large nozzle was perched. It then moved the nozzle, to point it at the airship.

"Shen! Get us in the air! Now!" Drake slammed a button to raise the ramp.

"Told you! Hang on!" Shen made the craft take a hard right, just as the tower fired another beam. The airship shook, as it grazed the side of the craft. After taking evasive maneuvers to avoid any more blasts from the tower, the ship headed away from the overrun fort at top speed. The rest of the team all rested against the wall, as Drake took a look around. They had lost a twintacle, the Octosniper, and three more troopers, including two from the Octocommander's group. But despite that, they all seemed to meet their captain's gaze, while others were staring at Callie. It was clear that for the regulars, a new found respect had been gained.

...

The desk of Manfred Von Kaufmann had become a mess in recent days. While already in disarray from all the research papers, the added security reports had piled up. Drake had been putting off some of the paper work, and Brandon was inexperienced as acting Captain. The two new papers that Manfred had tossed on to the top of the pile, certainly didn't help. "Two years.." The middle aged acting director let out a long sigh. "Two died, many others were injured and now my son is gone. All for just two years." Manfred took a deep breath, and read the first letter. One that was hand written by what was left of the Octarian Royal family.

_To the leader of the esteemed Elde r Race:_

_As you are no doubt aware, the treaty between the Octarian and Inkling territories has been violated, and has such been declared void. Do to the actions and, consequently, inaction, we have no choice but to resume hostilities against our neighbors. We have no qualms against the Elder Race, and would rather request your support. While we are quite aware that you have no stakes in this conflict, we are prepared to offer incentives in exchange for your alliance._

_1 - Land. We assume that you need more territory to expand as you grow. We offer a portion of any land seized to be ceded to you._

_2 - Exclusive Trade agreements. Any deals we had with the Inklings or other races for materials or information will be offered to you, including deals that would only be offered to our most trusted partners._

_3 - Military relief. Should you be attacked during the course of this conflict, or any ensuing conflict, we offer our military might in the defense of your homes, in the same way we hope that you will offer yours._

_We hope that you will see our side of things, and know that after the subway incident, this is the only course of action to us, and that our cause is justified so long as the Inkling government refuses to admit their wrong doings._

_Signed, Emperor Octarias._

"And now things have gotten this far." Manfred took the other letter. It was written by someone in the chancellors office. It was uncertain who, exactly, since it was unknown who in his employ was capable of writing in human languages, unlike the Octarian royal family that studied their race. The contents of the letter was about the same as the one from the Octarians. Almost word for word. Manfred tossed them back onto the desk. "Maybe Bridget Mclarrin was right all along..."

"Are you still trying to decide how to answer them?" Manfred looked up to see first squad standing in the door way. Brandon was in front with another report in his hand.

"Yes, and it doesn't get any easier by thinking it over..." The middle aged man got up from his desk, and slowly paced. "And times like this, I wonder what Drake would have done. Or Mclarrin for that matter."

"Mclarrin was a coward bitch, and you'd know what Drake would have done if you hadn't thrown him under the bus," a voice from behind Brandon said in a blunt tone.

"Shut it, Takeshi-" Brandon started, but Manfred shrugged it off.

"I can't say he's entirely wrong... and he knows more about them and their problems than we do."

"If you can't decide, we still can go it alone. We can take care of ourselves," Matt chimed in.

"I wish it were that simple. If we isolate ourselves, it may leave us open to being attacked by one of the two sides," Manfred continued, but Matt wasn't convinced.

"Then let them. We can take em. Two years ago should have proved that."

"Don't be stupid. We can't take an army, let alone two at once," Brandon shot back.

"Well..." Reggie cut in to keep another argument from breaking out, or a possible fist fight from Matt's attitude. "If you really want to know what Drake would have done, just think about it." The group turned to him to see if he would explain further. "Both sides are right and wrong at the same time, and we don't know who was really responsible. So how can you make a judgement on who is the right side to join with out more evidence, yes?"

"So are you saying he'd just play detective again? Little late for that, man," Takeshi said.

"Perhaps, but I think it would be a little more simple than that. We all know he'd sooner take a bullet before he let down the squid sisters or Otome again. Especially after all they've been through. But being on different sides of the war, what does that tell you?"

"Get to the point already!" Matt barked, which made Reggie sigh.

"You know, your temper is getting worse. Anyway, given that the Octarians were the first to open hostilities, I think Drake would want to side with the Inklings, but he wouldn't want to let his own girlfriend down. He'd likely tell us to side with them, but then sneak off to personally help Otome."

"Well, if you say it like that, it sounds like.." Brandon was cut off from the sounds of crinkling paper. Manfred tossed one of the two notes into the trash.

"Brandon, get on the Inkling frequency. We're going to accept the Chancellors offer, but I will be clear on one thing. We are only going to enter a mutual defense pact. We won't fight their battles for them, incentives be damned. Especially after the hospitality Octurus showed us in the past."

"Is that your final answer, professor?"

"Final answer. I want to know as much as we can before we make any real moves."

...

A charger stream flew by Kirin's head, and he barely managed to duck his head down enough to avoid a certain splat. His first instinct was to fall back before the sniper could line up another shot on him. But he gritted his beak, and charged his heavy splatling up for a long burst. he aimed up at the top of the large rotating platform that the sniper was perched on, and unleashed the stream of pellets. The sniper instantly backed off to relocate, and Kirin turned his attention back to the center platform that arched into a small bridge.

"30 seconds left! Y'all don't let them retake the zone!" The voice of Selka said over the communicator. A Splash-o-matic user had pushed themselves onto the central bridge of sturgeon shipyard, and had their special morph from a bomb launcher. Before the girl could cover the zone in suction bombs, however, Kirin moved to the other side of the catwalk while recharging the splatling, and sprayed her down before she could even launch a single bomb.

"Of course they have to be a pain at the end. I am not getting a reset penalty and going into overtime at the last second!" Another enemy that was wielding a splattershot was trying to push in where the splash failed, but before Kirin could give him the same treatment, the charger had finished shifting positions, and Kirin had taken a stream to the face. He yelped loudly, as the tether beam pulled him back to their base. As soon as the process was finished, he let out an annoyed growl, as overtime had kicked in. The other team had covered the zone, giving them a penalty and were rapidly closing the point gap.

"Kirin, get yer green butt up here!" Selka said, who was dancing around the splattershot that Kirin had failed to eliminate.

"I'm coming! Just get the damn zone!" He changed forms, and launched himself to a beacon that had placed by one of their other teammates. It was poorly placed, but it was the only location that wasn't being contested. Or so he thought. As soon as he landed, destroying the beacon in the process, that same charger blasted him in the chest.

"Ah, crap. Welp, that's game." Selka said, who had reformed next to him on the S.P.A.W.N. pad. The other team's point count passed theirs during overtime, and the game ended with a loss. Both teams were sent back to the lobby by the transport system. It didn't take long for the other twin squad to storm by, giving Selka and Kirin glares.

"And of course they are gonna act like it's our fault. Totally not going to admit the fact that they ignored the zone most of the game." Kirin rolled his eyes at the two, as they left the central lobby.

"Ah, don't let a couple of cocky jerks get to yah. We did fine fer our first league match." Selka clapped him on the back. "Now why don'tcha buy me a soda er somethin'?"

"Buy your own damn Soda! This is why I didn't want to introduce you to Neptune!" The two headed out of the lobby, and Kirin glanced over to the broadcast studio that Off the Hook used to see if the duo were at their posts. But the studio looked empty. That made him worried. They, or rather Pearl, wouldn't notice him from the studio, but if they were outside of the studio, then he was at risk of being seen. "Well, its not like she'll actually find me in this crowd."

"Say, what?" The yellow Inkling turned around to find out what he was mumbling about, but her eyes widened. Something he didn't pick up.

"It's nothing. Fine, I'll buy you a stupid soda. Let's just uaaghha!" Kirin was suddenly grabbed from behind, and put into a head lock. Dread soon filled his face, as he was turned around to come face to face with a pink and white girl.

"Weeeelll weeeell! If it isn't little Kirin!" Pearl gave him a big toothy grin from seeing her long lost acquaintance. "Haven't seen yah in a dogfish's age! What finally brought yah from the county, yo?" With out waiting for an answer Pearl Whacked him on the top of the head with her fist.

"Dah! What the hell was that for, Pearl!" Kirin squirmed in her grasp, but she didn't let up.

"For leavin yer old pal in the dark for so long! I been worried about yah, yo!" Pearl finally let Kirin go, and he took a step back to avoid another head smack.

"Oh my fish! WHAT THE FRICK, KIRIN! YOU KNEW PEARL ALL THIS TIME AND DIDN'T TELL ME?!" Selka covered for Pearl's missed smack, and whacked Kirin on the back of the head. "AND MARINA'S HERE TOO?"

"A-ah, yes. Hello." Marina gave a small bow. "Pearl, was this the boy you were talking about that took you on a- d-date?"

"Him? Ah, heck no. I dumped him a long time ago." Pearl pulled Kirin back into a head lock. "Nah, this is Kirin. We go way back. He was one of the few I was allowed to be friends with before we moved here, because he comes from a wealthy family. But him and his sister were cool. As was his cousin, bless his departed soul."

"C-come on. We weren't t-that close." Kirin said, who was getting worried about how much Pearl was going to reveal about him.

"Yah squiddin', Yo? You were always sayin how you were going to marry me." As soon as the words left her beak, Kirin froze up and looked like he was going to die on the spot. Selka burst out laughing, while Marina looked like she was trying to hide her wide smile.

"C-come on Pearly. I-its not nice to tease people like that."

"It ain't teasin', if it's true." Pearl Finally let Kirin go, who made sure to not get too close to any of the females this time. She then turned to Selka, who stopped laughing the instant she locked eyes with the idol. "So, who's this?"

"Selka. Selka Cuda. Stoked to meet yah!" She responded excitedly. Pearl than leaned in and sniffed at her, which startled everyone. Especially the human that was standing behind them.

"Yah smell like the county, Yo," Pearl said when she was done.

"Y-yah can tell?" Selka leaned in and sniffed at Pearl the same way. "Yer from my hometown too? Wow, that's awesome. I never would have guessed."

"Yep, just like the squid sisters." Pearl grinned. "Always pleased to meet another countryman."

"Though, speaking of smells, who is he?" Selka finally noticed the figure standing behind them.

"I- I'm Kenny.. Just Kenny." He said rather nervously. Selka leaned in to sniff him as well, which earned a confused look from the boy.

"You smell... different. Wait.. Is he.."

"Elder race, unfortunately." Pearl said with a dismissive tone. "Don't y'all worry about him, he's just following us for now."

"Pearl..." Marina started.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to nag, Reena." Pearl turned her attention back to Selka and Kirin, only to find that the green boy had disappeared when she was talking with Selka. "And where the heck did Kirin go?"

"H-huh?" Selka whipped around to see that he was in fact gone. "He was right here?"

"Oh, heck no, yo!" Pearl crossed her arms. "I didn't finally meet my long lost buddy, just for him to run off on me! After him girls! And.. boy."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I know his hiding spot." Selka gave a grin.

"You do?" Marina asked with a curious tone.

"Then what are we waiting for, y'all! After the green boy!" Pearl and Selka charged ahead towards the grate that lead to Octocanyon. Marina and Kenny exchanged a nervous glance, before running after them.

"Dammit, why did I have to run into her now!" Kirin said aloud. The large underground pipe was becoming a blur, as he raced towards Octocanyon. He started getting shorter and shorter on breath, until he finally reached the final grate with sunlight peaking through. Not caring about getting instantly blinded, he leapt through, and changed forms on the other side.

"Oh, good timing Agent f- I mean Kirin. I was just about to call you." Marie turned to him, and put the phone away that she had been typing on. She was now wearing her old disguise, and holding the old type H charger. "Go get changed, we're going on a night op- Whoa!" She jumped back to avoid Kirin, who ran passed her, and into the cabin.

"What crawled up his butt?" The equally surprised Neptune asked, in a rare loss of cool for her. She was leaning against where Octavio was once being held prisoner, who had just been moved back to a proper holding facility.

"I don't know, but he looks like he saw a pack of land sharks, or something," Marie commented.

"That's not far from the truth.." Kirin came barreling back out of the shack. Now in uniform, he tossed his weapon next to the special crate that Sheldon provided. He then retrieved the type-H splatling a split second later. "Okay, let's go. Like, right now."

"What? But you don't even know what I was going to call you for." Marie gave him a confused and exasperated look.

"You wanted me for something so, I assume its away from here. Like, far away."

"Okay, you." Neptune walked up to the them with her arms crossed. "What's the story? Did your date go bad? Run into your big crush, Pearl?" She said with a grin. The look Kirin gave her back though, quickly wiped that expression off. "Wait, seriously?"

"Okay, okay. The kettle is that way." Marie pointed to a far corner of the Canyon. Kirin started to run in that direction, but Marie grabbed onto his collar and yanked back. "Walk, don't run. I still need to brief you, after all."

"Ugh, fine. LET GO ALREADY!" Kirin walked ahead of them at a brisk pace, which made Marie sigh and roll her eyes when the two girls followed him.

"Anyway, as I just explained to Neptune," Marie started. "We're going on... a job that's a little more tricky than what we normally do."

"Sure. like going solo to do battle with a fat Octoweapon operator isn't tricky enough."

"You don't know the half of it," Neptune groaned, before Marie told them both to shush.

"As I was saying, we're going to infiltrate Octoberg. And by that I mean, not getting caught this time." Kirin stopped to give her a shocked look, just as they reached the Kettle. "You heard me right. There are too many things happening too fast. I want to know what the heck is going on down there. We're going to sneak inside the capital building, and possibly Guardian Corpse headquarters since I don't know where the Mariners are set up. This kettle will take us to Octovalley. I'd sent someone to the Inkling capital building if we had more man power. Levin and Shara have the day off, before Gramps goes after Siber."

"You sure we aren't just doing this for... you know who. Because I'd understand if it was," Neptune said, with surprising sincerity.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it," Marie responded with a sad sigh. "If we get the chance, I'd like to find her, but.. we can't prioritize her." She clenched her fists, which betrayed her real feelings. "I got a bad feeling there's a lot more going on than just anger over the trans-border line."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on a minute! That's like the most heavily guarded place they have, right? If we even get seen, we're screwed!" Kirin quickly protested.

"That's why we're going to change our colors to dark brown to match the elites, then steal some uniforms. And you said you wanted to get away from here, right?" As if on cue, they could hear voices from the other side of the canyon where the cabin was.

"Hey! Hey! I think they all went this-a-way!" They could hear Selka yell.

"Oh, hell! Here goes nothing!" Kirin said, and they all hopped in the kettle at once. The kettle came to life, and shot them to the world below, forgetting the fact that the kettle makes a lot of noise when used.

**A\N: Well that was fun \sarcasm. Everytime I had time to write, I had bock. Everytime I started to actually write something came up. Life sucks.**


	14. 2.5 - Stress Management

The mess hall had literally become a mess, thanks to the incident at the old outpost that had been lost to the salmonids. Many of the Octarian regulars that had survived the battle had indulged themselves in Octarian ale, which was similar to what humans called beer. Some were celebrating that they survived, while others were trying to forget what they saw on that island. Though, once the Octarians from the other units saw the heavy drinking, they were quick to join in, making the scene quite rowdy.

Like any major drinking event, it was inevitable that things would get out of control. This happened when an Octobomber that was hyped up on liquid courage, called out Shen for wanting to leave them behind. A shouting match ensued, and once the bomber took a swing at Shen, the gloves were off. Shen had an easy time getting in punches, due to the bomber forgetting that with out his flight gear, all he had to fight with was his top tentacles. But Shen's beat down on the bomber was halted, when the troopers grabbed hold of him, and held him back while the twintacle roughed up his face.

Not wanting to let another Octoling be pummeled by regulars, the rest of the Octolings were quick to jump in and turn the tides on the regulars, causing the whole scene to erupt into a giant melee, though both Yako and Kora hid behind a table, and Callie had already returned to their room. Octomarin, on the other hand, looked like she was having the time of her life. Once Kelly arrived at the scene after a long debriefing with Drake, she was seen standing over a knocked out trooper, sipping ale. The bomber and Shen had been sent to the infirmary, and Octomarin was sent back to sober up with a reprimand. Now, Drake was sitting in a mostly deserted room.

"Talk about a first day..." Drake sighed, as he picked at the remnants of his dinner. While the fresh bass was enjoyable, the drink that had accompanied his meal looked questionable at best. Drake had just asked for a water bottle, but the cook saw that he had a rough day and insisted that he take something from the more expensive stock. He tilted the cup a little, causing the light brown liquid to swirl around. "This has to be something stronger than the cheap stuff Octomarin was getting loaded on. And what are you doing, Oriana?"

"Hehe. How'd you know it was me?" A feminine voice answered. Drake looked down at the arms that were wrapped around his chest. If it wasn't for the custom designed gloves that Oriana usually wore, the soft mounds pressed to his back would be another giveaway. The large dark brown tentacle tips that were resting on his shoulders, were another of the elite's traits. "Soooo... are you gonna have your drink or what? Come on, I'll drink with yah." The elite sat her own cup next to his, and sat down.

"I told you before, that I don't drink," Drake responded, sitting the liquid filled cup back down.

"Aww, come on. Live a little." Oriana leaned in, taking hold of his arm. "Just enjoy yourself."

"Well, I have been seriously thinking about it.. considering how today went," he had to admit

"Tough fight?" Oriana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't know the half of it. I can only think of one fight that was worse than what we went through today. Why do you think almost everyone else was getting shit faced?" Drake picked up the glass again.

"All the more reason to loosen up. Come on, I'll help yah." Oriana put her hand on the bottom of the glass and raised it to his face. Giving in to her tempting, he let her bring the glass to his lips, and he took a swig of the Octarian booze. His eyes went wide when the liquid filled his mouth. The burning sensation from the alcohol instantly brought him back to his senses. He couldn't swallow, as his brain told him that if he did, he'd be throwing it back up along with that fish dinner. He went for the next best thing, and sprayed the contents of his mouth into a nearby trash can. Oriana was chuckling loudly.

"Haha, pretty strong, huh? Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Try again."

"T-the hell, w-woman?" Drake coughed and spit out the remaining liquid. He then went to the counter and swiped a water bottle with out asking, and rinsed out what was left into a sink. "Never again." He then downed the rest of the bottle to try to get the taste and burning sensation out of his mouth.

"Well, maybe that was a little too much for a light weight. Guess the server thought you were more.. experienced." Oriana shrugged, than snuggled up to him. "Come on, lets try something a little easier for a first timer."

"Yeah, no." Drake pulled out of her reach, which caused her to put on an expression of surprise. "I shouldn't have even had that one. I'm gonna end up doing something stupid again, at this rate." He turned and headed to the door. "I'm going to bed, so I guess you'll have to head to the surface if you want to mess with a human that much." Oriana watched him go, and she leaned against the wall with a feeling of disappointment.

"Ah, drat," She let out a long sigh as she mentally deflated. "But I would have made you forget all about the bad stuff... And I see what the brat liked.."

...

Marie was tinkering with the controls of an Octarian kettle. Neptune was pacing and Kirin had been keeping watch for the past 20 minutes, while the squid sister worked. Finally, Neptune stopped and turned her attention to Marie.

"Are you done yet? I'm tired." Neptune said. Marie didn't bother to look at her, but Kirin could tell that Marie wasn't too keen on being interrupted needlessly.

"No, now stop asking."

"Are you done yet?"

"No..."

"Are you done yet?"

"NO!"

"Are you-"

"YES I'M DONE, SO SHUT UP ALREADY!" Marie let out a growl, and slammed the panel case shut. The airflow to the kettle ceased, and the power was disconnected, rendering the tunnel unusable.

"So... I thought we were going on a night op to the capital dome?" Kirin looked around at their surroundings. Unlike the Octarian capital that they were supposed to be heading too, this dome was a deserted mining town that had long been abandoned and was now overgrown with plant life. "So why are we in this run down place, and why did you just shut down our only way out of this kettle, besides the one we came in on?"

"We are. But I want to wait until really late. That way we won't instantly have the whole city trying to roll us over if something happens," Marie responded and stood up. "And I disabled the kettle to make sure no one stumbles on us while we are resting. I'll turn it back on when it's time to go. Now, I suggest you start getting camp set up. we're only going to get a few hours of sleep."

"With what gear? You never said anything about camping, and all we have are our weapons." With out responding, Marie simply removed her hat and waved it. The two other agents simply stared at her, like she was going to pull a sleeping bag out of her hat. A few seconds later, however, a low humming sound could be heard. Kirin looked over, and saw the weapons crate hovering over the side of the cliff. It then landed behind Marie.

"Crab man must be bored again," Neptune commented, and opened the crate. Inside was a number of sleeping bags and some camping gear. "Even brought some instant Ramen. Too bad Shara isn't here. Not that we have a microwave.."

"That's Sheldon for you. You'd think he'd know better, since he was a trigger fish camper, and... and.." Marie paused.

"And... what? What dirty little secret of the crab man were you gonna reveal, huh?" Neptune said with a grin.

"Do you guys.. feel that?"

"Feel what?" As soon as he asked that, Kirin felt the ground begin to shake. Each tremor was accompanied by an audible thump. Kirin got close to the edge of the cliff, and looked over. What he saw, made him gasp loudly. The other two agents ran to his side to see what had caused the distress. Just below the cliff, what looked like a giant cube was walking towards an area where a bridge had collapsed some time ago. The machine passed by with out noticing, or was too focused on its destination to pay them mind.

"Whoa, that's a big boy, ain't it?" Neptune asked.

"I-I don't.. but.. how?" Marie's mouth hung open in shock. "But.. but Callie and I.. we destroyed the Octostomp two years ago.

"The what now?" Neptune raised an eye brow.

"The oldest of the original Octoweapons," Marie said when she finally regained her self control. "They must have rebuilt it. But what is it doing here?"

"Maybe it has something to do with them?" Neptune casually pointed to the other side of the lower cliff side. Marie reached into her gear bag and pulled out some binoculars. They landed on a group of four.

"What the..?" Marie instantly looked up, rubbed the lenses on her outfit, then placed them over her eyes again. She could see a group of four. Two of witch were easy to recognize. A small pygmy wearing a pink outfit and a crown that was using the other Type-H splatter shot. The other was a tall Octoling with a white headband that was holding the prototype splatbrella. "What the hell are Pearl and Marina doing here?"

"Looks to me like the Octarians found them." Kirin said, and Marie adjusted her field of vision.

"You're right. A couple of Octolings have them pinned.. probably to buy time for the Octostomp to catch up. I don't know who that Yellow Inkling with the Type-H dualies is, though."

"That would probably be Selka.. she's been running into me since day one," Kirin responded with a sigh. Marie shifted her focus to the last unknown.

"And that last one.. looks like a human." Marie's guess was affirmed by a loud bang from the hand gun the figure discharged, which caused one of the Octolings to drop dead.

"That must be Kenny," Kirin sighed again. "They probably followed us."

"I can see that." Marie put the binoculars away and raised her charger. "We need to get down there and get them out of that corner, before the Octostomp catches up." She quickly headed to other side of the the cliff. By luck, it was a steep incline, rather than a long drop. Marie jumped off the side, and rode the incline down on her back, until she hit the bottom.

"Would have been a good distraction," Neptune said, as her and Kirin both jumped off and rode the Incline own, going into a roll once they hit the bottom. Neptune wasted no time in raising her splattershot, and spraying ink on an Octoling that was trying to pin down Marie.

"What the! More Inklings behind us!" Another one shrieked. Two more that had their attention on Selka, whipped around and raised their weapons. But Kirin already had his splatling raised and unloaded on one armed with an RE blaster. Her armor shattered after being riddle with so many pellets, and she fell dead where she stood.

"Yah need to pay attention, yo!" Pearl used the distraction to jump behind the fallen Octoling's partner, and bashed her on the head with the butt end of the splattershot, knocking her out before she could even groan. The last one tried to take Selka with her, but she used the dodge nozzle to roll out of the way of a blaster shot, and fired at the Octolings legs. She let out a loud groan, and fell backwards, leaving her too paralyzed from ink to even speak.

"So that's where y'all got off to." Selka said when the ink cleared. She stomped over to where Kirin nervously stood, moving the splatling to an upward position. "We been worried sick that Yah got yerself into a doozy of trouble! And yah even left yer friend, WHO I'M STILL ANNOYED THAT YOU DIDN'T TELL ME WAS PEARL, hanging!"

"Yeah, what's with the dis, Kiri? I thought we were like that?" Pearl crossed her arms with an annoyed look that caused the green Inkling to gulp.

"Ladies, ladies!" Marie snapped her fingers to get their attention. "I'm sure you got a lot to complain at Kirin about, but we need to get out of here before something really big gets here." The ground had started shaking when Marie made that last statement, which removed any reason for the others to doubt her words. "We need to go! Now!" Marie took the lead back to the cliff side so they could long jump back to the top, but the massive walking cube had already rounded the corner, and locked on to the group.

"That is one big ass robot. That is a robot, right? Not just a big ass Rubix cube?" Kenny looked up Octoweapon, as the eyes focused on their group.

"Kenny, I'm glad you appreciate Octarian tech, but that thing is dangerous!" Marina took his hand and pulled to the side. "Run! Get out of its path!" Kenny followed the Octopus girl to the side, just as the machine charged forward with a speed that surprised Everyone but Marina and Marie. The Octostomp leaped into the air, causing the group to scatter. It slammed down, barely missing Kirin.

"T-that thing is crazy, yo!" Pearl was shooting wildly at the hull, dealing no damage what so ever. Luckily, Marie knew exactly what to do.

"Pearl, Marina! Stay back, and protect the human and the yellow girl!" Marie shouted. When ever the Octostomp uses the excessive amount of force need to leap, it exposes its control sentient tentacle. Marie aimed her charger, and shot a stream across the way, hitting the tentacle and covering it with ink. She wasted no time in charging up a second shot, this time causing the tentacle to retreat into its hole. The machine roared, and managed to get itself up right again, turning its face towards Marie. She backed up, expecting another attack, but something rose out from the hole the tentacle came from.

"What the-! They have splatlings too?" The surprised Kirin raised his own splatling to try to counter the sudden appearance of an octocommander.

"Kirin, back off! Octocommanders out range you!" Marie yelled, pushing him back behind a rock. She turned and raised her charger to try and snipe the Octarian, but he had already readied a volley, and was spinning the barrel in preparation to fire. She didn't have enough time to complete the charge, and the octocommander started to fire on her. Suddenly, something flashed before her eyes, causing Marie to think it was the old life flashing before your eyes saying taking form. But instead, a splatbrella was opened in front of her, blocking the splatling shots.

"A-are you okay? Marie?" Marina stood guard in front of her, desperately trying to keep the brella shield steady while it was getting pounded with ink.

"Thanks Marina. That was too close," the squid sister responded. Marina would have smiled with relief, if not for the fact that the shield was at its breaking point. Right before it happened, however, the octocommander ran out of charge. Marina moved the brella aside, giving Marie a clear line of sight. She released the trigger, and hit the Octarian gunner dead center, killing it on the spot. As Marina shook the shield out to remove the ink, the angry octoweapon got itself ready for another charge. Only this time, it decided to go for an easy target, and turned back towards the lower cliff side.

"P-pearly! It's targeting you! Get out of there!" Marina shrieked.

"H-huh?" Pearl looked up at the metal monster that was now facing her. While Pearl had been in plenty of turf wars, being in a life or death situation was new to her, especially against an enemy like this. She only could stare with her weapon raised, looking and feeling terrified. The Octostomp charged forwards, intending to leap at her. Selka ran towards the white and pink squid, using her dodge nozzles to give her extra speed, but it was clear she wasn't going to reach her in time.

"Run, dammit!" Kenny yelled at her, which finally broke her out of her stance. Pearl changed forms, and swam backwards towards the edge of the cliff, witch was still in the robot's path. "Not that way! Left, Pearl! LEFT!" The octostomp leaped at her, and the panicking Pearl managed to change course and veer to the side, just barely avoiding the stomp that came crashing down.

"Yer cuttin' it a little close, there." Selka said, who helped Pearl back on her feet. Pearl was staring at the ground, which confused Selka at first. Then she looked down, and saw what Pearl was staring at. A large crack had formed on the ground, and was spreading passed them. At that moment, the Octostomp tried getting back on it's feet, causing the cracks to spread faster. Selka looked back up. "Uh, Pearl?"

"Yeah... Run!" Just as Pearl yelled that, the ground gave way from under where the Octostomp was now standing. The cliff collapsed into a massive land slide, and the great Octoweapon fell to the rocky cliff base below. It smashed into a section of jagged rocks, causing a system overload. The cube lit up, and was rocked by a large explosion, sending scrap and ink everywhere. More of the cliff started collapsing, and the girls sprinted to where the ground was more stable. Just before they reached safety, the ground collapsed under them.

"P-pearl? Se-selka?" A familiar scene flashed before Kirin's eyes. Once again, two girls were hanging by a thread for their lives. One who was a childhood friend, and one that was always trying to lend a helping hand. Now both of them were in the same situation as the two girls he had mistakenly taken two years worth of anger and resentment out on. "No... I can't let it happen again." Even though he had nothing to do with it this time, he didn't want to make the same mistakes twice, and rushed forwards.

"K-kirin! I'm losing my grip!" Selka yelled. Not caring that he was about to scuff up his uniform and possibly cut himself up, he dove forwards, and slid across the ground. He reached over the side of the cliff, then grabbed her hand, just as she lost her grip.

"I.. I got you Selka!" He started to pull her up, but she slid a little. "Argh! Selka, I need your other hand! You're slipping!" She swung her arm up, trying to grab his hand, but missed, causing her to slip a little more. "S-selka!" He reached for her with his other hand again, as she reached out, but another hand grabbed in his stead.

"I got her, Kirin. Now pull!" With Marie's help, the two managed to pull Selka back to stable ground.

"T-thank you.." Her legs gave out from under her, and she leaned against Kirin for support. While startled, he held her up while she leaned into his chest. He then looked at the female that helped him save the yellow girl.

"Marie... you.."

"I hope it's clear to you that I take our work seriously, especially when lives are at stake." Marie, not giving him a chance to respond, then turned around. "Now, where did-"

"Maaaarrrrinnnaaa!" The pygmy squid had been hanging from a sign that was still sticking out of the ground, but while it held long enough for them to rescue Selka, it ended up snapping off, and she was now barely grabbing on to an old drain pipe. Kirin quickly tried to run to his old friend before her hand slipped and she ended up like Callie and Otome, but someone beat her to it. "Y-you?" Pearl looked shocked at who had grabbed her hand, and was now pulling her to safety.

"I got you, kid." Kenny pulled her enough to wrap his other arm around her back for leverage, and managed to get her back above the hole. He then carried her away from the edge. Pearl stared in shock for several moments at the humans actions, then came back to her senses.

"W-wh-wha!" She quickly started to struggle. "Let me go! And I ain't a kid, dammit!" She quickly freed herself from him and wasted no time in shooting a glare. "And where the hell did Reena go!"

"Uh, isn't that her over there?" Marie pointed to the other direction. They looked over to see Marina running towards the ruins. "What the! The heck Marina!"

"I'm more curious why she's running backwards.. and looking up?" Marina was in fact running backwards with her attention to the sky. The group followed her gaze upward. A small object was in the air and plummeting back down to the ground at high speed.

"What's that deal up there yonder?" Selka pointed to the object. "Its movin' pretty gosh darn fast."

"Is.. is that a zapfish?" The stunned Marie said, as the object came closer to the earth, right where Marina was running too.

"I got it, I got it!" Marina dove forwards with her arms stretched out. "I GOT IT!" Marina twisted around and caught the falling object, then they both hit the ground, and skidded to a halt. Quite a large dust cloud had been kicked up by Marina's wild dive, once the team reached her. Coughing and sputtering, Marina was slowly brought to a sitting position by Marie and Kirin. In her arms, was indeed a juvenile zapfish.

"Holy crap, Reena!" Pearl leaned in to inspect her dance partner. "How did you do that?"

"I- I, uh.." Marina looked nervous for a brief moment, before forming an answer in her head. "I-I guess all the dancing we do gave me good stamina." She wryly smiled at the group that was staring her down.

"That looked like more than just stamina to me," Kenny commented. "So what is that thing, anyway?"

"Its a young zapfish," Marie replied. "It was probably powering the Octostomp, and was ejected when it was destroyed. It's quite lucky, all things considered."

"Yeah, yah were great Marina! Just as awesome off stage!" Selka had a big grin on her face.

"I-its nothing really." Marina slowly got up with Kirin and Marie's help, and slowly petted the zapfish that had finally calmed down, and it stopped sending small jolts to Marina, that was causing her tentacles to stretch out in random directions.

"Yo! Is that why you didn't help me!" Pearl said, with a sassy tone.

"I-I just saw the zapfish, a-and Kenny was closer.. I-I trusted him to help you.." Marina responded. Pearl looked at Kenny, who glanced back. Her face went red for a split second, before she turned away.

"Hmpf! I could have gotten out of that myself!"

"Yeah, your welcome, forehead-chan."

"Pearlie..."

"Alright, get a room or something," Marie sighed and shook her head with the exasperated expression she was known for. "And has anyone seen Neptune?"

"I-Isn't that her over there?" Marina pointed to the bottom of the cliff side that they originally came from. A pink squid in a yellow uniform was lying on her back. The group rushed over to check on the fallen agent. Neptune was completely out, and a large welt had formed on the side of her head. Next to her, they saw a small screw. Marie bent over, and picked it up.

"This must have been blown off the Octostomp.."

"Looks like it clocked 'er good," Selka added. "She gonna be okay?"

"She should be," Marie bent down and lifted her up. "She might be out for an hour or two.. we should get her back to camp, so we can all rest until then." The group followed her up the steep trail that lead back up to where the kettle was.

"By the way, what are y'all doin' up here, anyway?" Selka asked, while looking at Kirin in an accusing manor.

"Well..." Kirin looked at Marie, who just shrugged. "We're going to sneak into the Octarian capital."

"Whhat!" Everyone but Kenny shouted.

"Kirin, you off your rocker, yo?" Pearl asked. "Or what? You two join the army or something?"

"Something like that," Marie cut in. "We actually could use your help with something.. or rather Marina's help." She turned her attention back to Neptune. "But for now, just rest and watch over the zapfish until the sleeping princess wakes up." The last comment made Kirin roll his eyes.

"That's not the word I would use for her."

...

Drake was no stranger to nightmares. In the past, he was forced to relive the death of his sister, Alice Von Kaufmann, who was struck by a car a few years before the world ending floods. But every now and then, the dream would be different. Rather than seeing his kid sister dead before his eyes, he would be confronted by a more mature version of her, which is what he assumed she would have looked like if it wasn't for the accident. This was one such night, once he managed to fall asleep, hours later.

"I really wish things could have gone differently, brother," Alice said, while slowly circling his unresponsive body. "First your sister, then your best friend, and now your lover." She stopped and faced him. "And there's still nothing I can do to convince you it wasn't your fault."

"I made bad choices, and I hesitated." Drake still had enough control of his body to respond to her. "All of them are on me... and you three aren't the only ones."

"Oh don't start again," Alice deeply sighted. "Look, I would never tell you to forget about us, but you have to let it go. You've punished yourself enough, and you will only hurt even more around you if you continue... like the magenta and green ones, two years ago."

"Now, that's not fair. And how do you even know that?"

"You learn a lot when you are in my position." She turned away. "And I know the red one is still alive."

"Yes.. But if you know that, then you know what she did.. she pointed a weapon at me, and hit Callie. I don't understand why, but-"

"Yes.. she has a lot of anger.. but also.. her emotions are more unstable than anything I've ever seen." She turned back to her brother, pausing to decide how to continue. "All I can say, is you are in a unique and difficult situation. If you don't pull yourself together, it won't be another close call next time."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"The red one won't listen to you as things stand.. but the magenta one still cares deeply for you. One door is closed, but not sealed enough to be opened again, while another door has re-opened. But I think you owe it to the red one as a partner to sooth her pain, no matter what path you take. I know you'd do the same for magenta, or even green." Alice turned away and started walking off. "Till we meet again, brother." Drake's vision faded, and he could feel himself waking up.

"Ugh.. that dream again.. its been a while.." He turned over, only to see something in the bed next to him, that was blocking his vision to the door. "And it always seems to happen when I'm in this situation."

"huuuuuu..." The sleeping figure let out a soft sigh in her sleep that he couldn't help but smile at. Callie, who was in her night garb, was laying on her side with her arms wrapped around him, while he slept on his back. Drake was reminded at how she had come to him as he was getting ready for bed. The battles had been a real strain on her, and she had asked if they could sleep together. He glanced at the clock, and saw that it was only an hour until they needed to get up, and had been sleeping more peacefully than when they were alone.

"I'd say this was the right choice. Especially since I think I needed the company too." Drake's muttering caused the Inkling girl to stir. She yawned, and opened her golden eyes. Once she saw that the human was next to her and awake, she smiled at him. "Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Mmmmm... Fweh nah hien nei. Shi la hemi veh." Callie stretched out a little, then returned her attention to him, as he set the autotran that was on the desk back in his ear. "Good morning, Drake."

"Morning, Cal. It's still a little early, so you can sleep more if you want."

"Sounds niiice.. but strange dreams," she yawned a little in a way he always found adorable.

"You too, huh?" Callie's expression went a little serious when he spoke those words.

"You saw her again, didn't you?"

"Yeah.. I did," Drake sighed. "She said something about opening doors, then said that even if Otome resents me, I should help her." Callie blinked a few times, then nodded repeatedly.

"Yep Yep! I totally agree with little sis!"

"Y-you do? After what she did to you?" Drake looked surprised at her instant agreement.

"Mhm. She's one of my best friends, after all. I want to know why too and say sorry if I did something wrong."

"Callie..." Drake smiled, and rubbed the top of her tentacles. Something she relished in, which caused her to giggle. "I'm glad you can still stay positive, unlike me."

"But its all thanks to you!" She gave him a wide toothy grin that he never got tired of seeing. "Its thanks to you, Marie and the others that I can still be Callie."

"You give me a little too much credit, but I'm glad you're happy."

"But it's true! Do you remember how we first met?" Callie looked into his eyes with a hopeful expression, and Drake nodded.

"I remember you freaking out."

"I don't mean that, silly." She chuckled at the memory of how she walked in on him half naked while trying to apologize to him for almost killing their first human. "You forgave what happened between you, me and Marie, and have been my caring friend ever since. All the way back then... well.." She leaned in closer. "Well.. I just want to say that.. no matter which of little sis' doors you take.. No matter how things turn out with Otome.." She moved closer until she was right at his face.

"Callie-" She shook her head to cut Drake off.

"As a treasured true friend and the first guy that I've truly had feelings for.. I'll always love you." She pressed her lips to Drake's. Despite his previous relationship and the sibling bond that they had, he didn't resist the gesture. Even returning it as the kiss went on. Thoughts were racing in his mind, and when they parted, he tried to make sense of it all. Was it do to him losing Otome? Was it this way all along? Was it just a heat of the moment and seeking comfort? One thing for sure, was that she was always true to her feelings, and this was no different. "Hehe, you had my first kiss too, human."

"Callie.." He now understood what the doors in the dream meant. He opened his mouth again to form his thoughts into words, but suddenly the entire room shook with a loud boom. Both of them were stunned at first, but the shaking continued. Callie leapt into his arms, and he held the Inkling to his chest protectively. After several more moments, the shaking stopped. But just when they thought it was over, the cover to the roof vent fell to the ground. Both of them jumped, but what came next was an even bigger shock. Both of them got to their feet, once they saw the figure that dropped into the room with the vent cover.

"Is.. that Neptune?"


	15. 2.6 - Tip of the Iceberg

2.6 - Tip of the Iceberg

Time seemed to stop for the human and squid sister. It was already jarring enough to deal with such a massive quake, but seeing there friend suddenly fall out of a vent was enough to put them in a situation that humans would often refer to as a deer caught in the headlights. Callie quickly scrambled off of Drake, and the human followed her to where the pink squid was wriggling on the ground.

"W-what is she doing here... She didn't see us.. did she?" Callie whispered to the human.

"I pray she didn't.." He knelt down, and pulled the large vent cover off of her tentacle that was keeping her pinned. "Neptune, how did you get here? And why?"

"N-nice to see you too." She instantly changed back to her bipedal form, once she was freed. "No, 'Oh hi Neptune, or "Gee, I'm glad you didn't get captured.'" Both Callie and Drake rolled their eyes.

"Neptune, of course I'm happy to see you. B-but Drake is right. It's dangerous for you to be here."

"You don't say, Callie.." The pink squid went over to the bed and plopped down. "And as for why I'm here.. well maybe I'll tell, if you tell me what you two were doing making out on the bed." Neptune gave them the devilish grin she was known for. Callie nervously gripped her nightshirt collar, which was a dead giveaway, but Drake quickly shut her down.

"That's our business, and I know for a fact that you didn't come here for a joke," he said in a flat tone.

"Geez, you're such a killjoy sometimes," Neptune sighed. "Oh well. Callie's expression already told me what I already need to know."

"N-no I didn't!" She quickly protested.

"Did so. Now, you wanna know the info or not?" Neptune crossed her arms, while lightly swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Both of them nodded in affirmation. "Right, so Marie sent me here to see what's been going on."

"Whhhhaaat!" Callie looked taken aback. "M-marie is here?"

"Yeah... and I'm sure she'll loooooove to hear about this."

"Neptune! Don't you dare!" Callie puffed her cheeks out, which made the pink girl burst out in laughter. Drake just shook his head again

"Yeah.. She and Kirin went to check out... another place.." She looked around. "I can't say where, in case someone is listening.."

"That's probably a good idea.. Octomarin has a habit of being nosy... and Yako for that matter," Drake sighed in agreement.

"But I haven't found out a single thing! Nobody seems to know what's going on. Although..." Neptune's grin returned. "I did find out something about your little hybrid friend."

"Huh? You mean Kelly?" Callie cocked her head a little, and Neptune nodded.

"Yep. She's been talking to one of the humans. Shes toootally got a crush."

"That doesn't exactly count as useful info, Neptune... though I am curious who it was she's talking to," Drake responded.

"Well, Marie tried to call me earlier, but-" Before Neptune could finish, the door burst open, and Octomarin flew into the room. Drake and Callie both moved to block her vision of Neptune at the last second.

"Captain, the-" Octomarin froze, when she saw Drake and Callie next to each other in the small room and in only their night garments. A big grin then formed on her face. "Oh ho ho. Did the Captain have a little rendezvous with the Sargent?"

"Octomarin, not you too!" Callie pinched the roof of her nose in irritation. "Why do I never get any privacy?"

"So you did do some-"

"Knock it off, Octomarin," Drake snapped to cut her off, then pulled rank to get her to change the topic. "I assume you have a reason to barge in here, private."

"Huh? Oh, right!" She quickly wiped the grin off her face once she remembered her reason for going into the commander's loft in the first place. "Captain Scylls told me to send you to her office right away."

"What? Why? It's not even time to get up yet."

"Dunno, but I bet its something big." Octomarin shrugged and turned to leave. "By the way.. was there someone else in here?"

"Why would there be another person in here, since you're so convinced that we were having.. relations." Drake shot Callie a look that screamed to keep quiet, which she returned with a completely red face.

"I never said THAT!" The grin on her face returned. "But thanks for clarifying." The Octoling quickly left the room, and Drake slammed the door behind her.

"Great. Of course we're needed for something when she drops in on us." Drake and Callie both turned to look at the pink Inkling who was now on her feet.

"What? You'd totally miss me if I didn't show up. And I got to see something juicy," she simply grinned at the two, which made Callie turn even more red.

"Yeah, well you can't exactly stay here. In case you didn't notice, things are going downhill real fast." He pulled up his back pack and placed it on the bed. "Which means you're going with us. Squid form, now."

"You can't be serious... I am not getting carried around like a plush." Neptune crossed her arms in irritation.

"You got a better idea?"

"Neptune, please.." Callie tried to smile again. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, because you got caught." Neptune looked between them, before sighing.

"Fiiiiinnnee... but only because she asked." Neptune changed forms and hopped inside the backpack. Drake zipped it up, and put it on along with the rest of his gear, while Callie put the rest of her uniform on.

"Come on, let's go see what she wants." The two headed into the main room where the other Octolings were pacing. All of them quickly gathered around the two. Shen looked like he wanted to say something, but Drake raised his hand. "Alright, before you ask, no. I don't know what the hell just happened either. The Captain wants us for something, but if I was you guys, I'd get ready to move."

Yako, who looked like she couldn't decide if she wanted to be scared of what happened or question why Callie was in his room, started to speak. "B-but what-"

"Later, Yako. Just be ready for anything." Drake signaled Callie to follow him, and she trotted behind when they left the room. Leaving the other Octolings in the dark. The two silently headed downstairs to where Kelly's office was, and entered. They stood at attention in front of her desk, and she looked up. "You look tired," he commented.

"You try being awake for most of the damn night, then getting woken up by a loud ass explosion," Kelly sighed, and rubbed her forehead. This only made her bloodshot eyes look worse.

"Explosion? Not earthquake?" Callie rubbed her chin.

"Doesn't look like it." Kelly reached down and took a sip from a steaming cup of dark liquid. "The scouts report a huge increase in Inkling activity, as well as movements from the salmonids. We're still trying to figure out what exactly happened, but what ever it is.. it got their attention."

"And let me guess. You want us to go take a look," Drake asked.

"Most likely, unit 43 will be sent to investigate, once we figure out what the hell is going on up there," Kelly nodded with a sigh. She took another sip of her drink. "But I asked you, or rather her here for a different purpose."

"M-me?" Callie looked surprised, and Kelly nodded again.

"I'm sending you to the training center to get you certified."

"Wait! That means I get my roller back!" Callie leaned in with a hopeful expression that Kelly couldn't help to not smile to.

"You'll have to take the entire certification course, but yes. Normally you'd have to be evaluated by the medical staff, but I can have that bypassed. But you will still need to run the physical course, take a CQC evaluation, and test with the octoshot, octobrush, bombs, heavy weapons, and reverse engineered inkling weapons. Then finally the piloting course."

"Piloting?!" Callie's ears twitched at that last word, and Drake facepalmed.

"Oh, hell. Kelly, I think that may be a liiitttlle too advanced for her."

"Oh, come on! Not you too!" Callie pouted. "And I said I'd pass the test next time!"

"That's what you said the last time. I didn't think Marie was serious when she said what she did about you on the road."

"And you said you were gonna teach me!" She puffed her face up, which made Kelly snicker.

"I was, once Marco repaired the damage you did on the Humvee from that dry run we did. I still don't know how you manage to blow the transmission and knock both axles out of alignment."

"Save the lover's quarrel." Callie went red, which caused her to give her a questioning look for a second. "She has to be evaluated, regardless if she passes or not. And nobody can be as bad as Yako. Speaking of which, I'll be sending the rest of the squad to take their re-evaluations after you are done. You'll find the training center out back. The drill Sargent is expecting you." The two nodded, and left the office. They passed by the mess hall, noticing that Oriana was passed out drunk from the previous night.

"I'm finally getting my roller back!" Callie said with an excited tone. "Isn't that awesome?!"

"Yeah, It's about time." Drake nodded in agreement. They passed by the target range, which was deserted at this time of day, and headed to a large field that was riddled with various structures that made up a rather tedious looking obstacle course. An Octoling elite was sitting at the entrance, and looked up when she noticed Them.

"Geez, the Captain mentioned a special case, but the Inkling and elder race man that's been the talk of the base?" The female looked them up and down, before sighing. "Well, what ever. I'm Master Sargent Maki Lavender. Which one of you two am I supposed to be working on?"

"Oh! Mememe! I'm getting my roller back.!" Callie jumped up with her fist in the air. Maki just sighed in annoyance.

"You are really lucky that you aren't one of my recruits," the elite shook her head. "So undisciplined... You really sure you're up for this?"

"I want my roller back!" Callie insisted.

"Alright, fine. Head to the start of the obstacle course by those flags. I'll meet you at the end, and assuming you can make par time, we'll do CQC right after. After that, will be the firing range, then the piloting course. Normally. the last two would be handled by the Octostrikers, but most of them are getting equipment overhauls... Must be my lucky day..."

"Really? You seem like the type that would love this job," Drake commented in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, you wanna join her?"

"I'll pass. You kids have fun," Drake shrugged, and went to an observation deck. Callie went to the starting platform, while Maki went to the CQC ring at the end of the course.

"Ready? Go!" The elite blew a whistle, and Callie rushed forward. "Move- Move- Move!" Maki yelled. The first station was running through a series of old tires, which Callie had no trouble navigating.

"Must be the instincts of a dancer," Drake said aloud, as Callie jumped over a set of hurdles.

"Faster! Get moving!" Maki Continued to yell. The squid sister then climbed over a rope wall, and rode a cable slide down to a small trench filled with water that had a balance beam over it. "Now get over that beam!" Callie crossed over the narrow beam with grace, then ran down a hill to cross over another trench using a set of monkey bars. "Get your squid butt moving!" She ducked down to crawl under a set of low wiring. She almost hit her head in surprise, when a pair of Octosnipers fired over the wiring.

"Not cool!" She pulled her self up from the other side, and headed down the path to a small building. When she got inside, a number of sprinklers fired up, spraying an orange liquid everywhere. "W-what is this?" she froze up just as she was going to enter.

"Clock is ticking, Sargent! Get through that building! And don't even think of changing your colors!"

"But that's a little-"

"Now!" Callie gulped and rushed forwards. The liquid started to sprinkle onto her uniform. "Not good, not good!" Being pelted by a liquid of not matching color was making her panic, and she rushed forwards. She banged against a support beam, and rolled on her side. "Gotta get out! gotta get out!" She got to her hands and knees, and managed to crawl out of the sprinkler infested building.

"Running out of time! Now jump to my position!" She yelled. Panting, Callie shifted to her squid form, and Drake watched the magenta form streak over the wall that surrounded the CQC ring. "Time!" Maki yelled, after stepping out of the way of the incoming squid. "Huh. You managed to get under par on your first try. Not bad for an Inkling, I guess.."

"W-what the heck was that! That sprinkler trap could kill someone!" Callie said with an irritated expression and crossed her arms.

"Relax, Sargent. It's just fresh water that's been dyed orange. You'll live."

"O-oh... oh.. no wonder it didn't hurt." Callie blushed and was quite embarrassed, now that the rush had passed. Maki then raised her hands into a defensive stance.

"Now.. come at me."

"W-what?" Callie blinked a few times, then backed away slowly, as if Sargent Lavender was an extinct bear.

"I told you that it's CQC right after the course. If you won't strike first, then I will!" Maki leapt at Callie, delivering a fierce jab that would have done a lot of damage, had Callie not inched to the right, just in time. Maki then tried to kick Callie's legs from under her, but Callie changed to her squid form and hopped over her leg. Maki followed up with an uppercut, but again Callie dodged by jumping back. Then Callie turned, and sprinted away. Lavender wasted no time in giving chase. "NOT THIS SHIT AGAIN! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE, INKLING!"

"No way! Not until you stop being a meanie!"

"THAT'S AN ORDER, SARGENT! FIGHT ME!" No matter how hard Maki tried to catch her, Callie managed to keep herself inches from her grip. They ended up running laps around the CQC ring for over 5 minutes, while Drake just stood watching, trying not to laugh too hard. Finally, both of them came to a halt, wheezing and coughing while trying to catch they're breath. "T-this is.. why.. unit... forty three.. is the.. misfit squad." Maki panted.

"Y-you were... being... mean.. I don't... want to.. to fight.." Callie responded between coughs.

"Normally... you wouldn't.. have a choice but.. I've got real recruits to train.. and don't have time to waste.. on this.." Maki stood up, and wiped away some sweat. "Now.. to the target range, so we can get this over with." The elite lead the Inkling over to a long range filled with holes and barriers, while Drake caught up and walked behind. Maki pointed to a table with several weapons and ink tanks, and told her to pick up a tank and octoshot. Then she took her place at the first station.

"Sooo.. what do I shoot at?" Callie asked, while waiting for a target. Maki pressed a button, and several stationary targets popped up from holes. Most were silhouettes of Inklings, but there were some Octolings in the mix. Callie took aim at the Octoling target and sprayed it with her octoshot. Maki hit the button again to stop the test.

"You fool! This is the Octarian army! Your target is the Inklings!"

"But that's unfresh! They said I wouldn't have to fight them." Callie puffed her cheeks out in irritation. Sargent Lavender sighed, and put a finger to her forehead.

"And I thought private Maroon was ridiculous. No wonder the Captain arranged this before the rest of the squad was scheduled to run the course. Hit the Inkling targets, or you fail." She hit the button to restart the test. After engaging the mid line targets, she was given an octobrush. Then was sent out to destroy moving targets at close range, seeing more success than with the shooter. After the brush, Callie repeated the test with bombs, an inkzooka and several reverse engineered inkling weapons. Maki stood by and wrote down her observations.

"Do I get my roller back now?" Callie complained when she finished with the last test.

"Not yet.. you still have the test I've been dreading." The elite lead her to the driving course. "I'm glad that you didn't hit your instructor with an Inkzooka like Maroon did, but I expect you will be just like her with an assault platform." After showing Callie the controls, she sent her down range. Unfortunately, Callie pressed too hard on the control lever, and sped past the targets she was supposed to shoot. She tried to turn so she could get a lock, but sent the platform flying over a hill. Screaming, she jumped off the platform before it hit the ground, and rolled over.

"Callie!" Drake ran to her side, passed the flaming wreck that she created. "Callie, you okay?" The squid girl only blinked in response. Drake reached down and grabbed her hand. "Come on.. up!" He pulled her into a standing position, and Maki handed her a paper.

"Take this and get off my range," Was all Lavender said, before heading back to the starting course to meet the other members of unit 43. Callie held the paper up, and Drake leaned in to look.

'Evaluation of the Inkling Sargent.

Instructor: Master Sargent Maki Lavender. Note: Medical evaluation waved.

Obsticle Course: Course was completed in par time, though barely. Subject almost failed the sprinkler house.

CQC: Subject only ran from the instructor, and was unwilling or unable to counter attack. She is clearly a poor fist fighter, but her reflexes are top notch.

Weapons: Octoshot - Mediocre. Octobrush - Above average. Bombs - Passable. Heavy weapons - Literally laughable. RE Inkling weapons - Mixed. Close range was impressive, long range were poor. Piloting - Banned. We've lost yet another training vehicle. Octobrush or short range RE weapons are recommended.'

"Well.. I guess that means she cleared you for your roller. That's kinda surprising," Drake said as he looked away from the sheet.

"Yeeeees!" Callie jumped up and pumped her fist in the air with excitement. "I get my baby back! Come on! let's go right now!" Callie took his hand and sped them away from the training area, where Yako was being chased by a pissed off elite.

...

Deep within Octarian imperial palace, was a network of ventilation systems. Normally, most external access points are watched by security cameras, but thanks to the efforts of a certain member of Off the Hook, two Inklings were passing through the bowels of the capital building. Kirin was watching Marie's backside, as she led the way to the current emperors office with Marina guiding them through on the communicator.

"You know, you can stop staring at my rear. You may have gotten to see more of the green squid sister than most fans, but don't be getting any ideas forming in your head." Marie whispered, as they trudged along.

"I-I wasn't-" Kirin quickly looked down, only to smack his chin on the floor of the vent. Marie quickly covered her mouth to avoid laughing out loud.

"I really didn't think you were looking, but I guess even after what happened, you can't help yourself. Now keep yourself in check. We're almost to Octarias' room."

"R-right." Kirin made an effort to keep his eyes down, else he might earn a kick in the head. After several minutes, they moved into a larger tunnel, and Marie stopped. She then signaled him to crawl next to her.

"We made it. Come take a look." The two peered down to the room through the vent cover. They were over what looked like a normal, albeit large office. "This doesn't look like the room Octurus used when he invited us here two years ago."

"The schematics show that's the right room," Marina said over the com unit. "That room you're probably thinking about is the meeting hall. This is Octarias' personal office, and he hasn't moved out since his father's assassination."

"You sure? This looks like a normal-" Marie quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"M-Marie? What's going on?" Marina asked in an alarmed tone.

"He's here..." Kirin said in a whisper, as Marie relaxed her hand. Below them, a familiar male Octoling in plated armor walked to the center of the room and cross his arms. Kirin looked up, and locked eyes with Marie.

"It's him. Current emperor Octarias," she whispered. They returned their attention to him, when they heard the door open. When they saw who walked over to Octarias, both Marie and Kirin had to cover each others mouths to keep from shouting out the new comer's name.

"Marie? Kirin? What's going on?" Marina asked. Marie pried off Kirin's hand to whisper the name of the person she'd never thought she would see again.

"Otome... she's alive."

"What! Oh, my goodness! She's alive!" Marina said with a happy tone. "I thought my old neighbor was gone for good after what happened at Cephalon. What's she doing here, though?"

"Not now, Marina," Marie whispered again. They returned their attention to the pair, to see Octarias whisper something into her ear. She merely nodded half-heartedly. He then leaned in to kiss her. Marie went wide eyed at this, but Kirin was watching her reactions closely. Something about it bothered him. She didn't reject him, but didn't seem to put much into returning it. Octarias moved his head back, once he was done.

"Still not convinced, huh? Well that will change soon. After all, you know what I say is right." Otome narrowed her eyes a little, but it seemed to be more at what he said, than Octarias himself. He then put his arm around her. "Come. I have a new assignment for you."

"What's my mission?" She said, as he lead her out. The two in the vent breathed sighs of relief, over the fact that they weren't caught. Both of them changed forms, and slid out into the room. Reverting to their bipedal forms, Marie went over to Octarias' computer.

"Kirin, watch the door. I'm gonna see what I can get from this thing," she said, as she began typing. Kirin moved to the door, and pressed his ear to it. The hallway outside seemed quiet, since Octarias and Otome had moved elsewhere. Kirin turned to tell Marie that it was clear, but stopped when he noticed several small spots on the carpet, that were made of a strange light blue-green liquid, that were just under where the two had been standing. Kirin was about to take a closer look, when Marie let out an annoyed sigh.

"It's no use. A little help here, Marina."

"Ah, just give me one sec." The two could here Marina's aggressive typing on the other side of the headset. "And, got it! I expected more from him, though." The screen on Octarias' computer instantly bypassed the password screen. Marie started going through the files, but soon her eyes widened and her face went pale.

"M-marie? What did you find?" Kirin asked, as he rarely saw that expression on her. Marie flipped the monitor around to show him.

"L-look at this.." On the screen was security camera footage of the meeting hall. In the center, were two figures. Former emperor Octurus was sitting in his chair, while his son was standing in front of him. The two seemed to be talking about something for several minutes, but then out of nowhere, Octarias had a knife in his hands. Octurus had a confused look on his face, and was unable to resist when Octarias leapt at his father. He effortlessly plunged the knife into several vital points on the emperor's chest, then on the final strike, left it buried in his chest. Octurus' head dropped, as blood dripped down to the floor. Octarias crossed his arms and shook his head, and the footage stopped.

"W-was that? Did.. did he-" Kirin looked as sickened as Marie.

"Octarias... killed his own father.. and blamed it on us.." Marie swallowed with an audible gulp to try to keep from throwing up. "A-and there's more. I just found his diary." She scrolled up to the one of the more recent entrees and began to read aloud.

"Things seems to be going smoothly, now that I have taken father's place. I sometimes find my self wondering why I still have the security footage on my computer, even after making sure all official records were removed from the server. Every time I try to delete it, something always compels me to stop. It doesn't feel like guilt, pride of my accomplishment or fear. My body simply won't listen to me when I try to make that last click. But no matter. If it ends up getting out and I end up being remembered as a monster, rather than as a redeemer, then so be it. It was a terrible, but needed step in our progress.

Now that both the Guardian Corps and the Mariners are under my command, I have no use for that weakling Octavio. His desire for revenge clouds his judgement, and both he and the deceased chairman had their chance to be a part of my plans. The Chaos served their purpose in keeping both armies occupied, but were insufficient for our needs. Thanks to my real partner, I now have Otome back at my side, and the means to bring Inkopolis and the entire surface to its knees. Unlike Octavio and Azula Torrent, he has kept his promises.

Soon we will march on Inkopolis, and the surface will be brought under our control, and the fool that we have been using from even before the Tentatek militia was brought into our fold, will be removed from his rotten perch. I will bring every one from the darkness to the promised land."

"Wow, and I thought Octavio was a nutter," Kirin commented.

"I.. I can't believe that he was the founder of The Chaos all along. M-marina. You'd better copy as much from this folder as you can. We can stop the war with this kind of evidence!" Marie said, once she finished reading.

"I-I.. Yes. Sorry." Marina started typing again, and a meter showed on the screen. "It's going to take a few minutes. Make sure no one touches that terminal, otherwise they can stop the download and I'll lose everything." Marie was starting to wonder if her luck was really that bad, because at that moment, Kirin was knocked to the ground when the door was forced open.

"Well, I didn't expect a squid sister would be paying me a visit personally." Octarias was standing there with his arms crossed. Kirin quickly rolled over and got to his feet. "But then again, you also double as Agent 2." As he said this, two more Octolings appeared on his sides. One was female, and wielded an Octobrush, while the other was a boy armed with an Octoshot. Both of them wore custom armor that bore twin cyclone symbols. "Vortex. Typhoon." Octarias nodded to them. The boy, Vortex, stepped forward.

"Agent 2, we may have been allies in the past, but you are trespassing and in possession of Illegal data. Surrender, or we will be forced to harm you."

"Or don't," Typhoon cut in. "Will be some great stress relief now that a certain someone got in the way again." Marie hopped over the desk and raised her weapon along with Kirin. Since their weapons were insufficient to be used in this environment, they left them back at camp and brought splattershot Jr's. This only made Octarias laugh.

"Please. You're outnumbered and outgunned. Return the data you stole from me, and I will spare your lives." He extended his hand. "Give me the flash drive you copied that data too." Marie raised an eyebrow. At first she was confused, since they had no such drive, and Marina was copying the data directly. Then she remembered that Marina needed more time and an idea formed in her head. She pretended to hand something over to Kirin. Seeing this, the body guards turned their weapons to Kirin.

"Hey! Hand it over, runt! I got no problem wasting you, just for daring to set foot in his majesties office!" Typhoon barked.

"You forget," Marie said with a smirk. "We have the elder race on our side!" She pulled a cylindrical device that Drake had given her years ago, from her pack and held it up. Then she pulled the pin, then tossed it between them. The flashbang exploded, and filled the room with a bright light.

"DAAAAA! DAMN YOU SQUIDS!" Typhoon was wildly swinging her brush desperately to hit something.

"I can't see! Where did they go!" Vortex yelled.

"Clever... I should have tried harder to get the humans on my side." Octarias said, when his vision returned a few seconds later. The room was now empty. "You two, go after them. I want that data back." The two body guards nodded, and scurried out of the room. Octarias then activated his communicator. "Otome? Change of plans. I got a new target for you, before you carry out your current mission."

...

"And that's what the professor and the senior staff decided." It was still early morning, and Brandon was sitting in the drivers side of one of the utility truck, just outside of the recently constructed freight elevator. Since the cargo ramp outside the motor pool was no longer safe for use, and hadn't been for some time, A large lift system was constructed to connect the Eden motor pool with the above ground service center. Brandon had just finished moving a container of ordinance to the surface, when he had received a call from a certain Octoling, and had been talking for some time.

"It's not your fault," The Octoling elite on the other side of the screen removed her goggles, revealing a black Inkling eye mask. "After what Octarias said, I probably would have done the same thing."

"Yeah... and I can't really blame Manfred either. Pretty sure that Drake would have told us to side with the Inklings, then sneaked off to join the Octarians to watch over Otome. Especially now that Callie is with him," Brandon responded.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." Brandon looked a little surprised that she would even ask. "Drake may be a bit of an dipshit at times, as well as a pain to deal with as squad leader, but he's still a friend I've known for years. And Callie is.. well.. Callie."

"So even you got a favorite squid sister, huh?" The elite gave him a grin, and Brandon couldn't help but to sigh again.

"You could say that..." He put his head to his forehead. "It doesn't help that we still have two members of our squad that are missing."

"Right.." The elite looked down at her files. "I've been looking into it like you asked. There have been no reports of other humans in our territory. It's possible that one or both managed to sneak in, but as far as the army is concerned, Drake is the only one down here."

"Right.. thanks, Kelly." Brandon looked around to make sure no one was near the truck, but returned his attention to the screen at the wrong time and didn't notice the passenger door open. "And with things about to hit the fan again.. I'm really worried about you." Kelly immediately had a wide grin.

"Awww, you're so sweet Mr. elder race guy."

"Yeah, he's quite the charmer when he finally gets a girlfriend," Another voice said. Brandon whipped around to see Takeshi sitting in the passenger seat.

"Takeshi, I've told you before, she's not my girlfriend."

"I'm not?" Kelly pretended to put on a hurt expression. "Not after all the private time we had?" Brandon went red in the face, and Takeshi burst out laughing.

"T-that's not funny, Kelly."

"But he's right. We aren't dating." Kelly leaned in closer, and put on a seductive pose. "Yet."

"L-look I gotta go. Just tell me if you see anything, okay?"

"Heh.. sure thing." A knock was heard in her office, and Kelly glanced back. "Drake is here anyway, so I gotta cut this off. Bye, sexy." She grinned one more time, and cut the camera feed. Brandon put his datapad down on the dashboard, and turned the truck's engine back on.

"Dude, she's totally into you. Why don't you just tell her that you like her?" Takeshi asked.

"I don't need advice from someone who tries and fails to woo everything with a pulse," Brandon responded with an eye roll. The grin instantly disappeared from Takeshi's face.

"Dude... not cool."

"Besides, it's not the time or place.. Especially considering the current political situation."

"Well you could always pull a Drake." Takeshi shrugged.

"Yeah.. that will go over real well." Brandon rolled his eyes, and the garage doors for the cargo elevator opened. The first Tiger Mk3 slowly walked out. "And we've got work to do."

"No kidding. I've been looking forward to this, now that these things are finally being put in their last trial." Tekeshi rolled down the window and stuck his head out to get a better look. "Though they are a hell of a lot slower than I thought they would be."

"You watch too much anime. This isn't that flying giant robot bullshit that you used to watch. Welcome to real life."

"Dude, that's my culture." Takeshi pretended to be offended.

"Yeah, right. We both know that show was trash." The doors opened again, and the anti armor variant lined up behind the first Tiger mk3. "I know they're testing out the remote piloting, but who's on the controls?"

"Well Drake and Matt were originally supposed to do it, but Drake's gone and Matt is stuck taking lessons from Harkov to replace Justin as medic."

"That's a scary thought," Brandon scoffed. "I still question what made him want to do that."

"Hell if I know," Takeshi shrugged in response. "But anyway, Reggie has control of the second one. I think someone from third squad has the first."

"Well, they're heading to the range. Let's see what they can do." Brandon put the truck in gear and followed the two walking tanks to the range they set up near the forest.

**Authors note: Finally done with all the certification crap I had to do for my job. Uggghh... but not that it changes anything since asphalt season is starting up again. Anyway, Vortex and Typhoon belong to gamenation.**


	16. 2.7 - The Ark Polaris

The two agents had gotten away from the capital area, and had managed to elude the Guardian Corps patrols by sticking to the shadows in the more run down alleys. While they had managed to get out of the more populated areas, Marie and Kirin still had to use all of their experience to keep from being sighted. Especially when they caught sight of the commando unit trying to get a hold of their trail. Currently, the two were hiding behind a garbage dump, waiting for a small squad to pass by.

"I think they're on to us..." Kirin whispered, while watching a male elite crouch down to examine his surroundings. He scanned the dirty concrete, likely looking for signs of foot prints. His thoroughness was making the green boy nervous.

"I know, but there's nothing we can do but wait till they move on," Marie whispered as quietly as she could. Kirin wasn't convinced, since the Octoling commandos were slowly inching closer to there hiding spot. Kirin knew he had to do something, and spotting a small glass bottle, he decided to see if an old trick he picked up the last time he was in Octocanyon would still work. When the male turned this attention away, he hurled the bottle over his head, and into the path that they originally came from. The bottle shattered, and all four commandos raised their weapons to the source.

"Disturbance sighted. Targets must have bypassed us and returned from whence they came," the male said in an emotionless tone.

"Orders... Lieutenant Kess..?" The other male asked, equally emotionless. The leader, an elite, surveyed the alley way, which was a branching T-intersection.

"It might be a trick. Major Oc- Emperor Octarias said these were squidbeak agents on the loose. Kraus, Octran, you two search the path that sound came from," the elite named Kess, said.

"Understood.. moving out." The two males responded in perfect sync. They turned, and with their weapons raised, started moving down the path they originally came, leaving the elite with another female.

"What is it with those two?" The fourth commando asked.

"I don't know, private," the elite sighed. "Almost everyone in the commando unit, besides the elites and most recent transfers like you, have started acting weird since Octarias became emperor."

"That's dangerous talk ma'am," the other Octoling sighed. "But I'm starting to miss Octavio.."

"We'd better drop this conversation before the wrong person hears it," Kess raised her hand to cut the younger one off. "For now, let's keep searching. You take the left path and link up with 3rd squad. I'll go right." The other female nodded, and raised her weapon, heading back in the direction of the central hub. The elite sighed, and scanned her surroundings. The two Inklings froze when her gaze landed on the trash pile. But the elite took no notice of them, and continued down the right path. The one the Inklings intended to take.

"Great.. what now?" Kirin asked, irritated that the elite blocked off their path of escape. "Should we take her down?"

"No, we can't risk alerting the others." Marie tried to find a way out of their predicament, when she spotted a narrow passage between two rounded buildings. "Kirin, come here." The green boy joined the senior agent at the tiny passage.

"Marie, you can't be serious. No way we can get through there, even if we suck it in." He shook his head and looked for another way, but Marie wouldn't budge.

"An agent needs to consider all angles, Kirin," was all she said before her form deteriorated, and became that of a green squid. She leaned straight up against the wall, and started to squeeze between the two buildings. About half way through, she beckoned Kirin to follow her with one of her tentacles.

"This is crazy.." Despite his reservations, Kirin changed forms and followed Marie through the narrow opening. After several minutes of shifting through, they made it to the other side, and after changing forms, they found themselves at the edge of a small park that was able to grow underground, thanks to the artificial lighting. On the far side, they could see a kettle that as far as they were concerned, lead somewhere better than where they currently were.

"Stay close to me, Kirin. We're gonna make a break for it. You ready?" Marie asked. Kirin nodded in response, and Marie took a sprinting position. After scanning the tree line, she darted forward into the park with Kirin in tow. The two darted from tree to tree across the deserted park, and the commandos hadn't caught on yet. About half way there, Kirin heard a third pair of footsteps thundering behind them. Kirin glanced over his shoulder to see an Octoling keeping pace with them, and closing the distance. His eyes widened.

"Agent 2, It's her!"

"What?!" His warnings came too late, as the Octoling changed forms and partially pressurized ink for a jump, then released it early. She shot forward in octo form, and slammed into the back of Marie's head, knocking her out cold. Once Marie was down, the Octoling returned to her normal form, and took a fighting stance. Seeing that he couldn't out run her, Kirin raised his weapon. She ran forwards, knocking it out of his hand before he could pull the trigger, and kicked him in the chest.

"Ack! Damn you, Otome!" He rolled to his side, and managed to get back on his feet, ignoring the fact that his legs were scraped up. He put his fists up to match her fighting stance. "Are you really going to go this far to get back at me!? You haven't even lost anyone! Both you and Callie are still alive!"

"You know nothing, Inkling. You're always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and so was your brother." She charged forward and landed a blow to Kirin's side. He recoiled, but she threw another punch. This one he managed to block, and followed it up with a jab to her gut. She wince, and he tried to throw a second, but she twisted herself to cause him to punch her armored plate. He jumped back, grasping his hand in pain. Otome wasted no time in kicking his legs out, causing him to fall on his back. He tried to get back up but she kicked him in the side of the head, causing him to flop down and go limp.

"Well executed, my fiance," the voice of Octarias said over the communicator. "Now be a dear, and carry on with your original assignment. I'll have Vortex and Typhoon collect those two."

"Understood..." Otome turned from the two unconscious agents, and headed to the airship docks.

...

"The Inkling listening post is in sight, Captain. This is the source of that massive quake we had this morning." After Shen's announcement, Drake looked out the window to see an old man-made structure sticking out of the water, some distance from Inkopolis.

"Looks like the scouts were right. The Salmonids are already trying to take control of the area from the Inklings." He turned to face the rest of the squad. "Remember that this is a combat air drop, so the airship won't be stopping. I'll be parachuting in with the other regulars, while the Octolings and Callie, long jump while it passes over the structure. Our objective this time is to fight off the Salmonids, and see if we can find the source of that disturbance."

"What about the Inklings?" Kora asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this counts as violating their territory," Octomarin added.

"We're technically already at war, but let's try to keep a fight from breaking out. Callie will jump in first and try to convince them to work with us against the Salmonids," Drake responded.

"Yep! No splatting anything that isn't a fish," Callie chimed in. She kept a tight grip on her type-h roller, and was clearly still ecstatic to have it back. Kora noticed this and leaned in to look.

"You seem like you're in better spirits," the Octoling singer said with a small smile. Callie nodded with a grin still plastered on her face.

"Yep-yep! This was a gift to me, and no mean elite is going to keep me away from my baby!"

"Oh, yeah. Sargent Lavender is pretty hard to please. Good job hanging in there," Kora responded with a nod.

"I don't think she's that bad," Drake said with a shrug, and the two gave him bewildered expressions. "It's her job to be a hard ass. But she was nice enough to make a copy of the report in Inkling writing so Callie could read it, and in turn, read it to me. And she didn't fail you for CQC."

"I... oh.. I hadn't thought of that," Callie said with a slight blush, which made Kora and Yako giggle a little. Their conversation was interrupted by Shen, who was swapping the pilot's seat and giving it to the backup crewman.

"We're ready to begin our run. You know, our job?" He said with crossed arms. Octomarin rolled his eyes at him.

"Alright, everyone get in position, so the pilot can drop us off," Drake said. The Octoling members of the squad went to the upper deck to reach the jump ports, while Drake strapped a parachute to his back, and joined the other regulars that were already equipped for the drop.

Below the craft, a group of four Inklings dressed in orange uniforms were desperately trying to hold back another wave of fish from taking the structure. "Levin, look out! Scrapper coming your way!" A female voice shouted. The normally blue, now orange boy, turned to the source of the shout, to see the only girl on the squad, pointing to a scrap car that was headed right for him.

"I got this, Citra!" Levin Fired a shot from the charger that he was currently equipped with, and hit the scrapper on its wind shield, causing the vehicle to overload and stall out. A second shot was fired, and he swam in the newly formed trail to get behind the scrapper. He reformed to bipedal, and effortlessly landed a third stream directly onto the pilots backside, splatting it instantly. Levin went to the wreckage, and collected several large golden eggs. "I think I got enough to meet the quota Grizz gave us," he said into the communicator.

"Well you'd better get back up here quick!" A male voice responded. "Something is coming!"

"I'll be right up!" He yelled back. Citra jumped down, and picked up another egg. Then she shot the base sphere of an ink rail several times to power it up.

"Come on, Levin. He sounds serious." She hopped in the ink rail and rode it up, with Levin right behind her. When they reached the top deck, they quickly deposited the golden goodies into the basket so thoughtfully provided by their employer, then went over to see what their teammate had been making a fuss over.

"Hey, Bass? What's all the noise?" Levin asked the nearest one.

"Take a look, dude! Isn't that an Octarian ship?" He looked to where the dark skinned Inkling was pointing, and a large round craft was speeding towards them.

"H-huh? Oh shoot! We got jumpers, guys!" Citra said in a panicked voice, while looking at her automap. Several ink streaks could be seen flying from the top of the craft, just before it passed over the Island.

"And that's not all they got! Troopers dropping in!" Bass pointed to a number of parachutes that opened up.

"Forget them! Deal with the jumpers first!" The fourth boy turned and raised a roller into the air.

"Huh? Wait, Frost! Don't!" Citra yelled. Heading the voice of Citra, Frost didn't slam the roller down on the jumper, but he did keep the roller raised. The first figure to jump down, was a magenta Inkling that everyone recognized instantly, despite the Octoling uniform.

"C-Callie? Is that Callie?" Levin said, who was the first to snap out of the surprise.

"Oh! Oh! It's Levin!" She beamed a smile at seeing her friend for the first time in a long while. Behind her, the four Octolings came down from their jumps, and the regulars started making their landings. Drake was the last to come down, and he cut himself from the chute to free fall for the last several feet, going into a roll when he landed.

"What the- and the elder race too?" Frost said, while still keeping the roller raised, not caring about the ink that was dripping on his hat.

"Wait, wait! They're all with me!" Callie put her hands in front of the group. "You know me, Levin. We're here to help."

"Of course." Levin lowered his charger, and the other three slowly lowered their weapons as well. "War or not, Callie is Callie. And Drake is cool too."

"Yeah, nice to see you again, bud. But this ain't the time or place," Drake said. They could here the sounds of chattering Salmonids coming up the ramps.

"Here they come! You mind giving us a hand with these damn fish then?" Bass asked.

"She did say we're here to help. And it looks like you need it." Drake responded, and the Octarians spread out to blockade the ramps. Salmonids starting swarming them, but their combined numbers were enough to keep the smaller ones at bay, and corpses of dead fish started falling from the ramps, as their peers started pushing them off the side to make room for the ones still coming up. That is until a large metal head poked its way up the ramp that Drake was guarding. He fired a shot, and it bounced off the armor, as if it was another of the large tank types. "Oh, what the hell are you supposed to be? Damn Seaman snake!"

"It's a steel eel, dude! Hit the pilot at the back, when it clears the ramp!" Levin said. Drake backed up to avoid getting crushed by its jaws, and sure enough, at the very back of the snake, was a fish that was guiding its movements.

"Oh! Oh! New fish! Let me!" Yako ran from the other side, and hurled a splat bomb over the top of the eel, landing right in the cockpit. The bomb exploded, and the dead pilot was ejected off the side of the structure, causing the rest of the eel to rupture and fall apart.

"That voice.. and bomb skill.. holy crap, is that Yako?" Levin's jaw dropped when he saw the now matured younger Maroon sister.

"Levin! Stare at her later! And don't forget you have a girlfriend!" Frost yelled, who was busy holding back several cohocks with a pair of Octotroopers.

"Oh, blue boy's a perv!" Yako yelled.

"I wasn't-" Levin started to argue, but then saw tenta-missles coming towards him. He swam back just before they hit, and grabbed one of the two stingrays that were stored under the basket. He turned it to the flying salmonid that was hovering over the edge, and powered it on. The stingray cut through the flying salmonid craft like a knife through butter, and it crashed into the side of the structure.

"Hey! The perv got the trashmaster!" Yako yelled.

"Trashmaster.. what?"

"Don't mind her. Looks like the rest of them are retreating," Octomarin pointed out. With the loss of their vehicles, the rest of the Salmonids turned tail, and headed towards the water, as fast as they could.

"Yeah, you better run!" Shen yelled, making Octomarin clap him on the back of the head.

"What did I tell you about getting cocky?"

"I think that's the last of them," Kora said, coming from the other side with Drake and Callie. The four inklings and the regulars all headed towards the middle of the upper platform of the tower. Once they regrouped, Shen looked at the structure they were occupying.

"So what is this place anyway?"

"It's owned by Grizzco Industries," Frost responded, flatly. "And don't ask me what they use it for. All I know is we have to clear the Salmonids out once in a while."

"Hmmm.. but this doesn't look like an Inkling structure to me.. not by your normal standards," Shen continued. Frost narrowed his eyes.

"That's none of your business, Octarian."

"Frost!" Citra said with an annoyed tone, but Drake raised his hand.

"Enough. But Shen is right. This isn't an Inkling structure." The others look with curious expressions after he made that statement. The human slowly went to the side of the top deck, and observed the rest of the tower that was still above the water line. The water itself had become calm, a stark contrast to the intensity of the salmon wave. The rest of the structure had seemed familiar to him while in the air, and now that he had time to get a better look, he now knew why. "This tower... was where the old Eden security captain died."

"Oh, that sucks dude. Wait, didn't you say something about that to Kirk before..." Levin started to say, but trailed off. Drake nodded in response.

"Yeah.. I think this tower was once a weather station or something, but it was taken over by raiders once society collapsed from flooding. The enemy leader caught Tran off guard, and took him hostage, right over there." Drake pointed to a rooftop access staircase. "I hesitated in taking the shot, so he ended up slicing his throat. Then he tried to kill Hannah, and only then did I finally wake the hell up and shoot him... lot of people died that day."

"T-that sounds awful," Callie said in a sympathetic tone.

"But it explains all the human language signs around here," Bass said, listening to the story.

"One thing I don't get though," Drake continued. "What's with all the bear signs. I'm pretty sure those weren't here before."

"That would be our wonderful employer," Frost interrupted. "He found a bunch of those old signs, and based the company logo on it. He likes to put them up in areas that we are.. well.. busy in."

"Yeah, Grizzco has been pretty active this year, dude." Levin said. "They even let me work part time while I wait for Cuttlefish to call."

"W-well can you tell us what that is?" Citra pointed to a a large tower like object that was sticking out of the water at a dangerous angle in the distance. "I- it just appeared there today after a terrible noise, early in the morning."

"Wait, appeared after a noise you say?" Octomarin went over to where the girl was pointing. "What time did this noise happen, girl?"

"I-I don't remember but it was really early... long before I would normally wake up."

"Captain.." Kora said from behind. "That sounds like our objective... but what is it?"

"I don't know.. Octomarin, your binoculars please?" Drake asked, and she handed them over. He peered through at the slanted object. Only to take them down, and rub the lenses. Then press them to his face with a rather distressed look. The others noticed immediately.

"D-Drake?" Callie put her hand on his shoulder. "D-do you know what that is?"

"I can't believe it... after all this time..." He lowered the binoculars again, and the entire group had their eyes glued on him for an explanation. "That isn't a tower. You see those reverse cones on the tail end, next to the fins?" He pointed at the back side of the object that was sticking out of the water.

"Yeah, what about- wait.. your not saying.." Shen's eyes went wide when he started to catch on to what Drake was saying.

"Those are engines," Drake nodded, but Shen was still having a hard time taking it in.

"But an aircraft even larger than the Leviathan? Is this what the elder race was capable of..."

"Close, but no. That's a spacecraft. And not just any spacecraft either." The group was shocked at this revelation, but Levin and Callie were starting to catch on. For they knew the Eden symbol, as well as the original purpose of the Eden Facility. He nodded, when he saw the gears turning in their mind. "The Ark Polaris... launched from Eden over twelve thousand years ago."

"Dude, doesn't that mean all your friends are back?" Levin asked with a hopeful expression, but Drake shook his head.

"I don't know about that... twelve thousand years with out a sign apart from that damn black box, and now the ship is sitting in the middle of the bay in ruins..."

"Then our trip here was a waste of time... this is of no value to the army," Shen said, earning a glare from both Callie and Levin, but before the could respond, a new voice was heard from behind.

"The mission parameters have changed." They all jumped, and turned to see the new comer. Callie's eyes went wide with a mix of fear and surprise, while Drake stepped in front of her in a protective stance. The Inklings looked at her with suspicion, say for one boy who quickly approached the new arrival. Levin beamed a smile.

"Otome! Holy crap, I haven't seen you in months! Where have you been?" He happily stuck his hand out, but the Octoling simply stared at him, as if he was nothing but an oversized prop. Levin eventually returned his hand to his side with a disappointed expression, and Frost put a hand on his shoulder, slowly pulling him back to where he and Citra were standing.

"I think you'd better stay out of her way, Levin."

"But it's just Otome, man. You know her too," Levin said, turning his attention to his teammates. Frost shook his head.

"I don't know what her deal is, but she's clearly not thrilled to see us." The rest of the groups were all watching the Octoling closely, who simply stood there with an emotionless expression, which was very unlike her earlier outburst. Apart from Shen, who was staring at the backside of her head, the other Octolings were all keeping firm grips on their weapons. The standoff continued, until Otome started to speak again.

"The emperor has just ordered me to assist you in getting inside."

"He... has?" Drake raised an eyebrow. "This is an E.C.S. problem. What does he want with the craft..."

"He has ordered it.." Otome flatly said. Then slowly approached the side of the platform that faced the Arc Polaris, where Drake and Callie were. She turned to them, and for a split second, an bit of emotion crossed her face, displaying ambivalence. However, it was lost just as quickly, and the expressionless stare returned. "We need to get over there.."

"Otome..." Drake had a lot he wanted to unload to her about the inexplicable behavior she had demonstrated since Octocanyon. But it was clear that he wasn't going to get anything out of her while in this state. His best course of action, was to observe her, and see if he could get a better understanding. "Fine, but... actually, how did you four get here?" He asked to the other inklings that were wearing Grizzco uniforms.

"O-oh, our employer provides us with a boat to use as a mobile base," Citra responded with a raised hand.

"Do you think we can borrow it? Getting inside the airlock will be impossible with out it," Drake asked, but Frost shook his head.

"Yeah, no. No way the company will let us just use their boats, especially to aid the enemy."

"Not cool, Frost." Levin shot him a disapproving look, earning him a glare in return. "It doesn't hurt to ask."

"It does when we can get our pay dock- HEY!" Despite Frost's shouting, Levin switched forms, and long jumped back to the boat that was waiting at a safe distance from the structure. The group stood in awkward silence, and Otome remained still and emotionless. A minute later, the squid came hurling down, landing in front of Drake, and the boat starting moving towards the platform.

"Mr. Grizz said we can use the boat, but you have to let the four of us go inside with you."

"What!" Frost's face reddened, as he was instantly pissed. "What the hell, Levin! Why'd you go and volunteer us?"

"Yeah, we're not payed for this," Bass nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I don't know how Shara puts up with you."

"I... I kinda want to go," Citra said, and Frost whipped around with a shocked expression. "The inside of a spacecraft. That sounds exciting."

"Citra..." Frost sighed. "Alright, let's go then." Citra beamed him a smile, which caused him to loosen up, and he went to her side. He took her hand in his, and climbed on the boat together with her. Callie and Drake exchanged glances.

"They started going out last year," Levin said, who had walked up behind them. "Those two are almost always together, and Citra smiles a lot more." Callie turned to watch the two sit down together, and a smile crept on her face.

"Heh.. that's cute."

"I... Donno. Isn't he the jerky one?" Yako said, who had joined the three while the others climbed aboard the boat. "He's probably just perving on her."

"Nah, look how happy she is," Callie responded, who climbed aboard with Drake. Yako turned to see Otome standing at the back with her arms crossed, and sighed to herself.

"Sis.. where is the love you used to show... you owe me so many hugs and head pats." Yako then hopped aboard with Kora. Octomarin and Shen were about to join them, when Drake raised his hand.

"I need you two to stay here with the regulars in case the Salmonids return. You're in charge until we get back." With that, the boat sped off. Octomarin sighed, and went back to get the regulars in line. Shen, however, bent down where Otome had been standing. There were a few drops of a blue green liquid on the ground.

"There was a little of this on her head... I wonder.." Shen unscrewed the spare canteen that he had stored the previous sample that he collected, and poured out a few drops next to what was already on the ground. "Its the same stuff... what does this mean?"

At the ruins of the Ark Polaris, it had taken some time for Drake to force the airlock open with the help of everyone on the boat. The four Inklings removed the life preservers and antenna from their backs, and placed them into a charging unit.

"Hey Levin? What are those thingies you been wearing for?" Callie asked, with a curious look.

"Oh, this thing? It's our best friend on a salmon shift. Pretty cool, despite its dorky look," he responded, once he finished hooking his up to the charger.

"Grizzco's new invention, though still in a prototype form," Bass said. "But the dude's right. This baby has saved our butts multiple times."

"Yeah, keep giving the Octarians info," Frost cut in rolling his eyes. "But yes, it's a mini S.P.A.W.N. pad. Might as well tell you now that they blurted it out."

"Oh! That sounds cool! We totally could have used that in Octovally!" Callie looked at the items with envy.

"Yeah well, they have a short life span, and you need someone with the same color ink shoot you to finish the process. Plus we have to stay in range of the boat's tether beam. Like I said, they're still prototypes."

"Awwww man. That sounds cool. I want some for the army!" Yako said, also getting interested in the preservers.

"Hell no!"

"Knock it off. I'm almost done here," Drake said. Once the airlock was finally open, he climbed aboard the ruined space craft, and scanned the corridors with his light. Half the craft was under water, while the rest was in bad shape. There were loose panels, wiring and other debris.

"So, this is a human ship.." Citra said with clear interest.

"Yeah, but its not normally this messy," Drake responded. He had to move slowly, as the slope made it difficult to traverse with out sliding into the flooded section. Otome was right behind him, and the others were moving at a slower pace. He went over to inspect the Cryogen bay, to see if any of the crew were still alive and frozen.

"Looks like the backup systems are still barely working... the pods still have power," he noted, seeing that some of the pods were still active. Some of them had gone dark and only contained skeletons. Drake fought the urge to throw up, when he saw the body of one of the kids. A few pods were also under the water, their occupants likely lost.

"Survivors?" Otome asked while they continued to probe the capsules. Going from pod to pod, he checked each one to see if the occupant was a corpse or not. Otome continued to follow closely, waiting for an answer to her query. He continued to hurriedly search the pods, spending more time looking at the name displayed on each pod. Finally, he came to a stop at a pod labeled, 'Hannah Ramsey.' Drake let out a deep sigh, once he looked inside.

"She's not here.. dammit." Otome gave him a puzzled expression, and Drake simply shook his head. "Hannah... I told you about her. An old friend.. and someone I had feelings for until..."

"Hannah.. Hannah.. Hannah..." Another short lived sign of emotion flashed across her face, but just as quickly, returned to her stoic expressionless look. Then she turned to face him again. "Survivors?" She repeated her last question.

"About 40 crew men are still alive. But... none of the children are here, apart from a few that looked like they died in their sleep." Drake slowly made his way to one of the smaller airlocks that lined the walls. "But it looks like all the escape pods were launched... not just the one that sent the black box..."

"Could that mean there are more of them out there, Captain?" Kora asked, once the others started to catch up. At once point, Callie lost her footing and started to slide down towards the water, but Drake caught her, and pulled her to where he was. She clung to him gratefully, and Otome flashed another sour look that went unnoticed.

"It's possible.. but that means there's kids out there on their own..." He looked over to where the nearest computer terminal was, and it was powered down, just like most of the other systems. "If I could get a terminal working, then I might be able to track them."

"They look pretty busted, Dude." Levin commented, as they climbed back to the upper deck.

"Yeah, and these working conditions are gonna make it take even longer. Levin, Kora, can you-" Drake was cut off when a shout from the airlock caught everyone's attention. Octomarin had long jumped to the boat, and climbed up to the outer edge of the entrance.

"Captain, we got a problem! Something big just came out of the water, and its dropping Salmonids like crazy!"

"Ah, hell. Of course they would time this now. How big are we talking?"

"Like bigger than any of those other flying things they have. And more of them are coming from the water."

"Alright, I'm sending the others back. Make sure the Octotroopes don't displace, Octomarin."

"Roger that! I'll-" Octomarin was unable to finish, as a bright green glow formed behind her. The others were unable to even warn her, and a beam of highly compressed Gel pierced her torso. Her eyes widened, and a mix of blood and ink flew out of her mouth. A split second later, and her body burst into a purple and green mess, coating the entree way with her ink and blood.

"Octomarin? OCTOMARIN!?" Yako screamed, and tried to climb up to where her body had burst. The others had to grab her, to keep her away from the beam that was trying to find another target. A few seconds later, it died out, and Yako started to sob. "Octomarin..."

"I'm so sorry." Kora, who had been keeping her away from the beam did her best to comfort her, while the others started scrambling for the exit. Drake turned to Callie, who was still standing next to him.

"Callie, I need you to take charge of the battle."

"H-huh?" She gave him a wide eyed look. "B-b-but I can't- You-"

"You're Agent 1, remember? You can do this. I need you to keep them back while I stay back to get the terminal working. It's the only way we can save everyone still alive."

"I.. I'll try." Callie nodded, though still looking scared.

"Good. Yako stays with me. Everyone else, get back to the tower!" The four Inklings jumped to the boat, and re-equiped the charged mini S.P.A.W.N. preservers, then jumped to the tower, followed by Callie and Kora. Otome was the last one to jump, but before she did, she glanced up at the large craft that was attacking the tower.

"Target confirmed. Salmonid mother-ship approaching. Eliminate and protect the humans... Protect... protect.." She winced in pain and put a hand to her head. "I... I won't let anymore die... wait for me... Drake.." She changed forms and jumped into battle.  
  


**A\N: Asphalt season is looking pretty bad this year, so once a month is likely going to be the pace for a while. I'll try my best to keep this from being cancelled out right, but time isnt the only thing making this hard.**


	17. 2.8 - Raising Tide.

 

"What's goin' on, Marina? Y'all look more freaked out then a Jelly in'a zapfish tank," Selka said, while twirling her duelies. The Octoling simply stared at the screen of her laptop for a a few minutes, double checking the recent report that had been posted during her hack. Then she turned to face the two squids and human that were watching her with confused faces.

"M-marie and Kirin were caught and captured!" Marina said while practically hyperventalating, which made her tentacles quiver. Selka went wide eyed, while Pearl and Kenny exchanged a glance. Though, they quickly turned away from each other.

"W-what yah mean they were caught, yo?" Pearl asked in an awkward tone. "Surely yah don't mean-"

"I'm afraid so, Pearly. Marie and Kirin were captured in the capital dome. They took them to some holding cells at Guardian Corps HQ," Marina answered, turning back to the laptop screen."

"Then what about the pink one?" Kenny asked, but the Octoling shook her head. "I- I lost contact with her a while ago..."

"What are we waitin' for, y'all?" Selka straightened up and turned to the Kettle that the agents had used. "Let's go bust em out! We can't leave 'em hangin'"

"Wait, we can't just-" Marina was about to protest her rash decision, but then stopped mid sentence. She raised an eyebrow, and her tentacles curled a little as she turned back to the screen. "Or maybe.. maybe we can."

"Huh? You got a plan, Reena?" Pearl asked, and Marina nodded.

"Y- you remember how Marie told us that Callie and the human, Drake, left for the Octarians, right? Well, I was thinking that with Drake down there, we-"

"That dummy fossil ain't gonna help us, yo!" Pearl said with crossed arms.

"Pearlie!" Marie shouted in annoyance, and Pearl rolled her eyes. She sneaked another glance at Kenny, before relaxing and dropping her gaze.

"I'm just playing. Lighten' up, will ya?"

"Pearlie, you-" Marina paused for a moment when a thought entered her head, and the young mechanical prodigy's mind turned. Her irritation melted away, and a smile formed on her face. Even Pearl was confused by the sudden turn, despite being close friends."Actually, I was thinking of asking for Drake's help, but he's probably not in a position to do so. however, we have another human, here." She turned to Kenny, who looked just as confused.

"I-I don't understand, Marina."

"If Drake is allowed to roam freely, Then-" Marina leaned in close which made him blush a little. "Then we need him to pretend to be Drake for a little while."

"Wait, what? Reena, that ain't gonna work, yo." Pearl gave a disappointed sigh. "The fossil is, like, a foot taller then Kenny. And they have different faces."

"I'm more curious how y'all call the other guy a fossil still, but yah call Kenny by name-" Selka started to quip.

"Nobody asked you!"

"B-but if he keeps his hoodie down, than his face won't be as obvious.. and well maybe they don't know him well enough to notice the height." Marina turned back to Kenny. "I can use the hacked security system to guide you soo... can you please try to find them?" Marina put her hands together with a pleading look.

"W-well I guess-" Kenny started to say, but Pearl jumped in.

"Now, hold on a minute, yo!" She glanced back at the human, before crossing her arms again. "This dope is gonna need someone to back him up. Otherwise he'll just end up making a mess of things like the other fossil!" She said rather strongly.

"P-pearly?" Marina looked shocked by this.

"D-don't get me wrong, Reena. I just don't wanna have this dope's death on my concious when I still owe em a favor," she turned her head to glance at Kenny. "You got that? So don't get any funny ideas." With out waiting for either of them to respond, she changed forms, then climbed up onto Kenny's shoulder before taking cover in his back coller, squeezing between him and the hoodie.

"What ever you say, forhead-chan."

...

Ink was already flying when Otome lauched herself towards the old observation post. When she reached the peak of the long jump, she reverted back to her humanoid form, and twisted herself in the air, so she was falling with her head pointed at the ground. As she came down, she fired a few shots from her octoshot at the ground below her, then, just before landing in the puddle, she lobbed a splat bomb into the mouth of one of the largest non machanical based salmonid they had seen yet. The large fish burst into a puddle of gel, and Otome reformed from the ink puddle she had made.

"They're coming from everywhere! Screw grizzco, we need to get the hell outta here!" Bass yelled, who was the target of the large salmonid that had tried to snack on him, before the bomb had taken his place. Looking around, Otome saw that numerous pods were coming down from the sky, being flown in by smaller salmonids with propeller backpacks, that were deployed from the mothership. Once they landed, the flying salmonids returned to the mothership to collect another pod, while salmonid reinforcements came from the ones that were on the ground.

"Stay put, Bass! We gotta job to do," Frost yelled back. "I did not come all this way to get my pay docked. Frost slammed his roller down on several chum to illustrate the point.

"Guys, we need to stay together!" Callie shouted, as several Octotroopers retreated from an advancing scrapper. Citra zipped around with her duelies, to get around behind it, and splat the driver. Just as Callie was about to get the lines reorginized, another green beam split the group in two, catching one of the troopers in its beam, and melting it into green gel.

"Yeah, well someone is gonna have to deal with that stingray, and it ain't gonna be me," Shen responded with irritation.

"O-oh well..." Callie looked around to see who was free, but every member of the group was caught up in an engagement. "I guess I'll-"

"I'll do it," Otome said, and swam up to her in the ink they had layed before hand.

"H-huh? Otome, you-"

"I'll do it, Callie. Just keep the lines from breaking," Otome raised her Octoshot, and Callie nodded.

"Okay, okay. Thank you! Just be careful."

"Do not concern yourself with me." Otome turned and sprinted off the side of the platform, to the lower deck below. On the far corner, she could see the stingray sitting on the top of a mobile tower, getting read to unload another charged. She sprinted forwards, but another scrapper got in the way. Cursing, she jumped on to top of it, and leapt off the back side, paying no attention to weather or not the vehicle was giving chase. After shooting several smaller salmonids that tried to get in the way. When she was finally in range, she unloaded ink onto the tower. One by one, each layer burst apart, until only the gunner was exposed.

"This is for that girl.." Otome coldly said, and pulled the trigger one more time. That salmonid gunner screamed in its strange language, as the last of the sniper tower was just a puddle of ink. The sniper had been eliminated, but more salmonid carriers were dropping in from the mother ship. Several of them tried to drop off containers near where Otome was, but she raised her weapon, and fired several bursts into the air. The nearest of was killed instantly, and dropped the crate it was carrying into the water. The second flying salmonid managed to get close enough to drop the crate on land, but flew off before she could hit it. The octoling quickly tossed a bomb into the crate to keep the sardined troops from escaping, and instead, turned them into a large gel pool.

"T-the big on is coming in! W-what do we do guys?" Hearing the shrieking voice of Citra, Otome looked up to see that the mother ship was advancing on the tower. While the combined efforts of the inklings and the Octarian troops had kept the reinforcements at by, she knew the were stretched too thin to keep the craft back. After shooting the base of the inactive base rail, she rode the rail back up the the top platform. When she got off, the mothership was already right on top of them, and was attaching itself to the grizzco holding facility.

"Get it off the basket! It's stealing the eggs!" Frost yelled, wildly spraying the connection tube. Ink was slowly covering the base, but it wasn't enough to deter the craft.

"Who cares about your stupid eggs! The damn fish are gonna overwhelm us!" Shen yelled. Despite killing several chum, he was slowly being pushed back by the advancing mob, that ganged up another Octotrooper, and forcing it off its platform. The octarian screamed is at was beaten into a puddle of ink.

"He's right, we aren't gonna live long enough to worry about your money," Kora cut in, who was also being pushed back. "What do we do, Sargent?"

"Uh-uh.. crud what would Drake do?" Callie was internally panicking on how to turn the situation around, but then remembered that Levin had used a stingray once, and looked over to see if there were any more reserve weapons. Instantly, a grin spread on her face.

"Uhhh, Sargent?" With out answering, Callie dove in the ink, and swam towards the egg container. When she emerged, she grabbed one of the spare weapons, and took to the air in an Inkjet.

"Yyeeeess! I love this part!" She squealed in delight. Forgetting that this wasn't a turf war, Callie blasted the group of salminids that were closing in on Shen, then turned her attention to backing up Kora.

"No, the motherhip! Shoot the- oh forget it!" Frost swam over, and strapped himself to the second jet. "I'm not losing my damn paycheck over this!" A moment later, and he was also in the air. The inkling boy fired several large volitile ink balls at the mothership, coating the hull in orange, faster then when they were using their hand weapons. When Callie noticed the second jet, she shifted the cotroll lever, and faced the jet towards the mothership. Together, the two continued to ink up the underside of the craft, until it finally seemed to have enough, and detached itself from the container.

"Nice one, Frost!" Callie cheered as the mothership retreated out of range. Both Inklings came flying back down to the inked up ground, once the jets expired and shut off.

"I don't think thats quite what Drake would have done. That was purely a Callie move," Levin said with a grin.

"Y-you weren't supposed to hear that! And it worked, didn't it?" The magenta Inkling responded with a pout.

"Yeah, but we're not done yet! Heads up, guys!" Bass yelled, and pointed to the mothership that was starting to make another run on them, while sending out more drop pods.

Back in the Ark Polaris, Drake was trying to repair a damaged circut board, while Yako was curled up in the fetal position and wasn't saying a word. While muffled, the sounds of the battle outside could be heard through the cracks in the hull that formed from the impact. Tenta missiles would ocassionally hit the side, causing the wreckage to shake. Drake set the tool he was using down, after a few minutes. "Yako, I need to the torch." Yako wordlessly handed drake the welder, and he slowly started making the final repairs on the board, despite not being as skilled or knowlagable as Reggie. For the next few mintues, the sounds of the welder were the only thing heard, until Yako finally stopped sobbing, and spoke up.

"Why... why am I always left..." She muttered. Drake turned off the torch and turned to her. "First sis leaves me for the army, then our parents killed in an accident.."

"Yes... Otome did mention that when I Jokingly asked when I was gonna meet the parents last year.." The human let out a sigh.

"Everyone leaves me... Even when I got to be with sis again.. our old squad mates left... sis hates me now.. and now Octomarin.. Octomarin.."

"Yako!" Drake said with a firmness that made her flinch and clam up a little. "I dont know what happened with Otome in the last few days, but none of those things are your fault."

"You just saying that. Everyone always-" Yako's eyes started to go vacant, and seing what was about to happen, Drake gave her a light smack on the head.

"Don't start that. Look, Otome never told me what happened to your parents, apart from that it was an accident, but you aren't responsible for the world deciding to give someone the finger and take them from their kids. Same with Octomarin. There are always casualties in battle. Otherwise it wouldn't be war.. and sometimes you don't even get a chance. As for Otome... I don't know what's going on with her, but I do know it's not because of you."

"I.. don't know.. but I-" Yako started to say, but he shook his head.

"If anything... it's probably related to me or Callie... but I can't for the life of me figure out what." Drake sighed. "But what ever it is, we'll figure it out when we get back.. alright."

"I.. I..." Yako went silent as Drake resumed the repairs. Her eyes slowly focused in again, and she started to inch towards him, while he worked. Eventually, he felt her chest press into his back, and two arms wrap around his sides. He paused briefly, to see the younger but filled out Maroon sister, hugging him while she cried into his back. This went on for another minute, as Drake finished the repairs on the console, before shutting the hatch closed. Yako finally looked up from his back, and locked eyes. "Thank you..."

"Of course." Drake rubbed her tentacles, which she eagerly leaned into, then powered up the console to check the repairs. The emergency backup managed to regulate enough power to activate the croygen control unit. After moving through several settings, the pods that still had power and life signs, started to cycle through the reanimation process. "Come on, lets wake these guys up.. and here." Drake passed her his spare autotran. "You'll need this so they don't completely freak out."

Outside on the old tower, more and more salmonids were making a massive push on the egg storage facility. More transport crates were being deployed by the mothership to cover it's second advance towards the collection basket. The squids and Octos were slowly getting boxed in from the advancing heavy classes. It didn't help that yet another new machine jumped out of the water.

"Rain..." Otome said, while glancing up.

"Rain? What do you mean rain, red? There's no- oh shit! Rain!" Frost slammed his rolled down, and sped away from the ramp that he was guarding, due to an advancing ink storm cloud, which gave a steel eal the oportunity to pass through and head right for the center of the group. Lucky for them, Otome had calculated this, and was already in a position to spray the pilot with ink, stopping the craft in its tracks.

"it's firing again! Heads up!" Bass yelled, as the mechanical umbrella launched another rain pod. Shen moved to engage it, but by the time he got there, the operator had hidden himself back under that canopy, and his shots didn't even make a dent.

"Damn umbrella shitheal. How do you kill this thing?" As soon as he asked, the umbrella leaped into the air. Hearing the commotion, Levin noticed this, and raised the charger that Grizzco issued him.

"Like this, dude!" He fired a shot, and coated the soft belly of the operator from the exposed underside of the umbrella, which caused it to spin and drop faster. A second later, and he got off a second shot, cuassing the fish to let go, and fall to it's death. "Easy!"

"Yeah, that's great and all but the damn mother ship is almost here!" As Shen pointed out, the mother-ship was almost on them.

"What do we do here, Sargent? We already used the jetpack things," Kora asked. Callie rapidly looked around for an answer.

"I-I uh... Oh, man where is an Inkzooka when you need it... wait.. the stingray!" Callie turned around to face the basket, where the other heavy weapons were stored, but someone had already beaten her to it. "Otome? How do you- Oh crud!" Everyone that was on the front side of the platform dove out of the way to avoid the Octoling, as she powered up the stingray. Once the beam was ready, she directed the beam upward, causing it to pierce the mothership's hull. The craft began to shake and swell from the consistant damage it was now taking.

"Hey! Hey, it's working!" Bass yelled. Just before the mothership reached the collection tank, Otome managed to land a critical hit on the craft, and it started spinning out of control. The squids all cheered as the mothership fell out of the sky and away from the tower, before finally giving in to a spactacular explosion.

"Nice one Otome!" Levin ran over to high five her, but stopped about half way . "Oh.. yeah, she doesn't like me anymore." Otome just sighed and tossed the depleted stingray away.

"Uhh, before you start moping.." Frost started to say, and Levin turned back towards the front of the deck. The pilot of the craft had bailed out, and a large golden salmonid was staring them down. "We got pay dirt."

"A golden salmonid? I've heard about those.." Shen mumbled, while the large fish looked between each of the surviving members, before finally resting its eyes on Citra. It raised its weapon high, and with a loud shriek that made everyone cover their ears, charged forward at her with surprising speed.

"Not in your life, fish!" Frost leaped up, and delivered a kick to the side of the golden fish, knocking it over. "Say goodnight!" Before the salmonid could even shriek again, Frost slammed the roller down, turning the golden fish into a pile of green gel. On it's remains, however, was a small pile of golden eggs.

"Awsooomme! Big bonus, here we come!" Bass yelled, after playfully punching Frost in the shoulder much to his irritation. The Octarians just stared at their Inkling counterparts, who all excitedly collected the golden eggs, and delivered them to the storage basket. Once they were done, the basket lowered itself to the containment facility that Grizzco installed before hand.

"If you're done playing around..." Otome said, looking more like her older self for once, walked towards the edge of the platform. "Then we should get back to the human ship..." With out waiting for a response, the Octoling changed forms, and long jumped back to the boat.

"Man... what's her deal?" Levin said with a hint of annoyance.

"I don't know, Levin," Callie sighed in response. "I don't know... all I want is to have my friend back."

After Shen called in the airship to pick up the remaining Octarian regulars, they all jumped back towards the boat. Once Drake and Yako had gotten the surviving humans out of the sleeper pods and downloaded as much data as he could from the mainfraim, the boat was now packed with humans. Confused and weak, it had taken over an hour to calm everyone down and explain the situation. But once they were forced to accept reality, they found some comfort in the fact that the Eden facility had survived all these years, and even grown some. Though they were still not used to the sudden appearence of a new intelligent species, they were all looking forward to going home.

"Thanks for convincing your boss to let us use the boat to take them back," Drake said, once everyone was loaded, and the boat was ready to leave.

"No problem, dude. what are friends for," Levin grinned while rubbing his back tentacles.

"Oh, and speaking of friends, you mine taking back- what the hell!" Drake's face changed to a look of shock when he peaked into his pack.

"W-what is it?" Callie asked nervously. "Neptune.. she's gone! Ah, that's great, I guess we gotta look for her when we get back."

"Wait, Neptune was with you?" Levin asked.

"Long story. Look, just get the humans back as quick as you can, alright?"

"O-oh sure, dude. Just make sure you come hang out later.. and ask Otome why she hates me now.." With that, Levin hopped on the boat, and started heading back to Inkopolis.

"Tell Shara we said hi!" Callie yelled while waving goodbye. Once they were gone, the rest of the Octolings loaded up on the airship, until only Drake, Callie and Otome were left.

"Now..." Drake walked up to Otome, while trying to keep his emotions in check. "Tell me... tell me why.. tell me why you didn't tell us you were still alive... why you're with Octarias with out even talking to me first... and why you-"

"Why do you hate me now!" Callie interupted, who was fighting hard to keep tears back. "If this is about the river, then I'm so sorry! I tried to help you up, I really did- I-" Otome raised a hand to cut her off.

"Meet me in park in three hours... and we'll talk.. ngn.." Otome held her head with a pained expression. Callie nervously got closer to checl on her, but the Octoling changed forms, and jumped to the commando airship. The two simply watched her go, before returning to their own craft.

"The park in three hours... this is gonna be akward.." The two silently boarded the airship that had just finished loading the octotroopers, and made a hasty retreat from the platform.

...

"So this is the Marina's homeland?" Pearl, asked while staring at the capital city from the back of Kenny's hoodie. Both of them were shocked to see the state of the capital sector, as opposed to the connecting domes. So far, this was the only one that really seemed livable, and while it wasn't as large as Inkopolis, it's size was impressive to them. The capital building could be seen in the center, and they were being slowly drawn to it. However, a fence with guard posts along the line blocked their entrance to the city itself.

"That's great.. how do we get around this Marina?"

"Those fences are monitored and covered by Octosnipers. You'll need to trick one of the check points in to letting you pass. Let's see..." Marina went quiet for a few seconds, though he could hear here typing away. "Okay, so head to your right, down two check points. I know the guard there, and its the closest one two Guardian headquarters." Doing as they were told, they headed down the fence line. The parimeter guards glanced at Kenny with suspicion, but didn't move from their posts. Eventually, they reached the checkpoint Marina had mentioned, and could see the large hq building in the distance, where many Octolings seemed to be marching as part of a drill. Kenny went to the desk officer, and she looked up with a curious expression.

"What are you doing outside the fence? I'm sure you didn't come here for a social call. Or did you? I don't see little miss princess with you... then again, I haven't seen much of her at all since that announcement."

"Well I, uh.."

"So why are you here?" to Octoling leaned in a little, which threatened to give Kenny away.

"Her name is Kiri," Marina said over the headset, and Kenny had to fight the urge to reply. "Just keep her talking."

"You see, Kiri-"

"Oh, so you do remember my name," Kiri said with a half smirk. "Figured you all were too busy to visit this lowly gate guard and all."

"Ahah.. yeah." Kenny rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Just then, something on the Octoling's monitor beeped, and she looked down at it, causing her to frown.

"Special assignment my butt," Kiri sighed, then hit a button that caused the gate. "You're free to go in."

"R-right. Thank you. Maybe next time." Kenny headed past the guard post.

"I won't hold my breath," they heard her say, and Pearl snickered.

"You suck at this, yo."

"You shut up, backseat driver!" After making it past the guard post, the two were now inside the city. Kenny caught himself staring at the various buildings again, and the numerous Octarians roaming the streets. Both of them were being drawn to the capital building, when Marina quickly spoke up on the communicator again.

"Nono! That's the capital building. You don't want to arouse suspicion, do you."

"R-right." Kenny turned to his right, to a large military structure.

"That's Guardian HQ. Head inside and try not to make eye contact. There's no telling who actually does know Drake well enough to blow your cover."

"Okay.. thanks Marina."

"r-right. Just be careful, okay? I'll try my best to guide you, once you're inside." Making his way past the patrolling Octotroopers and doing his best to keep his gaze down, Kenny headed through the courtyard. He could hear a number of Octolings doing drills from the nearby training field. Once inside, he appeared to be in the main lobby, and a single elite was sitting at a desk. She glanced up, but payed no mind, as the cover seemed to be working still.

"Marina, what do we do here?" Kenny whispered, so the desk Sargent wouldn't hear him.

"The door behind her leads to the interrogation area, and the one in the far back corner leads to the prison. I doubt they are in interigation right now, but both sectors need a key card. She has one, but you need to figure out a way to get it off her."

"Right.." Kenny stepped up the front desk. "Excuse me."

"Yes?" She looked up. "Oh, you. What is it, you already know where you're supposed to be..."

"A-about that." Kenny took a deep breath to calm himself. "I need to get into the prison area."

"What for.. I wasn't notified of this." The elite narrowed her eyes a little.

"The prisoners. I need to talk to them."

"You would..." She sighed. "I knew it was a mistake bringing those two here two years ago was a mistake. And now they got some kid involved."

"Two years ago? What are you talking about?" Kenny asked with a confused look.

"Wait.." Her annoyance turned to an equally confused look. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Seriously you don't know?"

"What are you talking about?" Kenny said with annoyance, not noticing that his hoodie suddenly felt lighter.

"Well if you don't know, I'm not gonna say anything. The prisoner's identity is on a need to know basis. And you apparently don't need to know.. especially since you'd blab to the other one."

"The other one? Look just let me in." As the two argued, Pearl had slipped out on her squid form, and moved behind the desk, and used her tentacles to grab something. Then slid back around, and hopped back into Kenny's shirt, then made her way to the hood.

"Just leave before I call the commander! And that's final!" The elite yelled. Kenny angrily turned away, then leaned against the wall with an exadurated sigh.

"Great. Now what are we supposed to do.." As he tried to think, he saw something being held in front of his face. His eyes adjusted and saw the keycard that he had been trying to get was being held in front of his face by a tentacle. "How did you-"

"Like I said, yah suck at this." Pearl said in a haughty tone. Kenny snatched it from her, before anyone could see the squid tentacle.

"Well at least you did something useful fore-head, gah!" He felt the tentacle smack him in the back of the head, and he wobbled over to the door that lead to the prison. Checking to see if anyone was watching, he slid the card into the reader, and unlocked the door.

"Drake doesn't have access to that area." Marina said, over the com when they stepped inside. "I'll try to keep an eye out for you, but don't get spotted or they will interigate you."

"That sounds great.." Kenny said with a sigh. "Well, here goes nothing."

 


End file.
